


Fear will Learn to Fear Me

by DragonofFernweh



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: F/M, Gen, Nightmares, PPG - Freeform, Sisterly Love, but like. au version, not the canon teen version lmao, old ppg fanfiction i never finished past chapter 2, so im rewriting and gonna complete it along the way!, the girls are in high school!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2018-12-17 00:05:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11839836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonofFernweh/pseuds/DragonofFernweh
Summary: Buttercup has been having nightmares that she doesn't understand, and they're beginning to take a serious toll on her mind. She loses track of what's real and what isn't, and all the while fate keeps shoving her and her nightmare together. Soon, she sees a certain someone every time she closes her eyes. Will she beat her own demons, or is she going to break first? Is there a bigger meaning behind her constant night terrors?





	1. A Vivid Nightmare

_Two creatures met one fine night, one of the darkness and one of the light._

ღ

* * *

_The air surrounding Buttercup is frigid and heavy, weighing down on her like she's sunken beneath ocean water. It makes each breath a challenge, the oxygen feels sharp in her lungs, yet she perseveres. Another scream bubbles up inside her throat, but with her chest aching, she can't form it and it comes out as a gurgled cry. Her voice is already ragged from her previous (failed) attempts, and it's not up for much more exertion. Why in god's name is no one answering her?_

_How can they not hear her? She grew up in a house with two sisters, she knows damn well how to make herself heard when she wants to! Instead, her voice bounces weakly off the walls, like a mere little girl's. Buttercup is no little girl, she's a fighter—a powerful woman, a hero! She isn't weak, and she will be damned before she allows anyone to paint her as such! Whoever has trapped her here is going to rue the day they put their hands on her!_

_A wince scrunches up Buttercup's face as she shifts yet again, struggling to keep her weight balanced. The shackles jingle, her arms held above her head by the metal manacles. She's yanked at them for ages it feels like, and the pale flesh of her wrists is bruised and raw now. Her legs are shaking from holding her up, trying to keep from hanging all her weight on her arms, her shoulders already feel ready to pop off. That's not a good look, and Buttercup doesn't plan to start the new trend. Odious green eyes shoot a glare up to the chains that are keeping her imprisoned._

_What sort of demented freak is behind this one? Buttercup can't for the life of her remember, nor can she remember how she ended up here. She's tried to think on it, she's sure she has…but her memory is muddled. She feels lost and alone without at least one of her sisters at her side, and she's not sure if it's a relief or not that they aren't with her. If they aren't here, where are they? Were they captured too, or were they searching for her, hunting for her kidnapper? Buttercup hopes fervently that it's the latter, and that soon, they'll come busting through the walls to unchain her._

_Fear is not something Buttercup is familiar with. Her dalliances with it have always been brief in the past, and she doesn't wish to revisit it. Fear is like an ex that she holds in bitter regards, and she believes it's best they see little of each other and that fear keeps its distance. It brings nothing but badness wherever it goes. Buttercup is too tough for that, she's the hard-hitter! Nothing can shake her, and she's not about to let some freak who goes around chaining people up start scaring her._

_Yet, her mind, still a wasteland with flurries of broken up memory, it warns her. She isn't sure what the alarms blaring are for, but she's learned in her years as a crime fighter that ignoring warning bells can get you in a world of trouble. Even with her ignorance, dread gnaws at her empty belly. Why is she here? Why, why, why? Why can't she remember? What's happening to her?!_

_Frustration in the form of another strangled cry launches past Buttercup's lips, where she's chewed them raw. The foreboding inside her has torn a pit wide open, and fear is spilling in, poisoning her resilience. It's growing stronger, a steady rise that Buttercup feels powerless to stop. Growing frantic, she whips her head around, her hair falling into her eyes as she searches the room for the umpteenth time for a clue or a way to escape. She comes up with nothing, like every other time. The room is barren, with nothing but its chill and shadows to answer Buttercup's questions. She keeps hoping that, by some chimerical wish, an escape route will open before her very eyes. She's all but memorized the dank room by now, and every time she closes her eyes, she only sees dusty walls and clanking chains. There are no windows, no furniture, no anything! The only sign that there's an entrance is the staircase to the left, it leads up to a door that Buttercup can't see._

_There's nothing but her and her burgeoning panic. It's begun clawing at her, fighting to escape her, and she can do nothing but yank her bleeding wrists on the manacles and wheeze out a raw expletive. Where is she, why hasn't anyone found her yet? Is this guy really that good that he can kidnap her, a Powerpuff Girl, and no one's caught him? That door, she doesn't doubt, is locked, even if she were to somehow snap the chains after hours of trying. Has it been hours? She can't quite say, time feels slow and slippery, she can't gain a good enough grasp on it to gauge how much time she's spent here. With her bruised wrists and cracking voice, it has to have been a while, right?_

_The thick silence in the room that's been clinging to Buttercup's ears gets broken by the sound of a soft, unassuming creak. Strung as tight as a bowstring, Buttercup zeroes in on the sound, focusing on it as her own heartbeat fills her ears. The quiet sound sends a knife of fresh adrenaline piercing through her veins, but it's nothing compared to the thunderous "SLAM!" that follows. She flinches, jangling her bonds as the noise bellows around her. Buttercup sucks in a breath past her teeth as she jerks her head up to look towards the staircase. A look of rage sours her expression. The adrenaline has rejuvenated her, strengthened her resolve. Whoever's coming is gonna get a royal beatdown!_

_She tries to pull herself up, but her muscles don't respond. They're sluggish and jelly-like, leaving Buttercup in the dust when she tries to use them. Startled by how slow and weak her body feels, she forgets the sound above her until she hears steady, slow footsteps making their way downstairs, one step at a time. The adrenaline is there, ready and willing, but Buttercup's strength feels sapped! Her energy feels all spent, like she'd fought a hard battle. Maybe that's why she's strung up in this cell, she'd lost a fight; she can only hope her sisters had escaped the same fate._

_Why is she wasting time feeling sorry for herself? Why does she have to be so fucking useless right when it counted! Buttercup is a Powerpuff Girl, not a sniveling coward! When things get tough, she only gets tougher, that's how it works. She isn't supposed to feel so…so useless. Ugh, even the word makes her flinch. No, she's not useless, she's never useless! The "damsel in distress" title belongs to Bubbles, not her. Buttercup can handle anything thrown at her and she won't crumble._

_A dark, quiet chuckle breaks into Buttercup's hazy senses then, the familiar timbre of the voice sends a chill down her back. Her eyes widen with recognition. No, that's impossible, he…he's long gone!_

" _Well, princess, is that all you got?" the voice continues, "that's rotten, I was expecting more of a fight outta you!"_

_It can't be. It can't be! Another shudder crawls down Buttercup's back, wrapping around her with cold and spindly legs. The voice is cruel, filling the air with frost as it speaks. Buttercup pries open her eyes, not having realized she'd shut them. It all feels slow, too slow, like time itself is lagging for fear of going forward. She doesn't want to idle by, and she won't! She forces her eyes open and into a hateful glower, one that falters when it meets the gaze of the boy in front of her. Those blaring alarms inside of her are screaming at top volume now, the restless writhing in her gut morphing into vehement churning. She can't understand—she's defeated him once, he's nothing but a newt! Why is her heart racing so fast in her chest, then? Something's wrong, everything about this feels off, but she can't put her finger on it. She's a little busy worrying about how the heck she ended up in this position, in front of someone who should be dead._

_His eyes, a deep emerald that reflected like cool glass, hold Buttercup's gaze with steady ease. He looks calm, confident—he has Buttercup all strung up in front of him, after all. She grits her teeth in a snarl, hoping that it comes off as vicious as she feels. Those eyes are unmistakable, even if she might have doubted it was really him, at first. His hair is a tad longer, enough to get in his eyes, and he's grown, maturing just as Buttercup has. But, it doesn't make sense, none of it makes sense. She'd watched him and his brothers die. But, those eyes, oh, they look right through her. He's the only match in the world for her._

_Right now, he's stronger than her._

_No, no, Buttercup won't accept that! She'd beaten him, she'd totally kicked his butt and she'll do it again! He was gone, he shouldn't be here, this can't be real!_

_A wicked smirk curves upon the boy's lips as he listens to Buttercup's growl, his eyes glimmering with spiteful mirth. Does he find this funny? Is this all nothing but a game to him?! Buttercup tightens her fists, rattling the chains. With purposeful steps, he prowls closer to where Buttercup stands chained to the wall, blood now staining the manacles. Red gleams on silver. As he nears, Buttercup's vision appears to grow hazy. Her breathing picks up when she realizes she can no longer see the wall in front of her—the entire room seems to fade out, morphing into black abyss as her focus returns to the threat before her. Him? He's crystal clear._

_She tries again to free herself (because the other times didn't count?) but the attempt only jars her bones, the metal biting into her flesh. When she screams this time, it's pain as much as fury. Her body sinks with exhaustion as weariness washes over her. Buttercup feels like someone's injected her with liquid metal, making her heavy and slow. Her own body no longer even feels real to her. This isn't her, Buttercup isn't so pathetic. She wants to shake herself and scream "What's wrong with you?!" at her own brain. Has he drugged her, is that what this is? To make her powerless? What a coward's act!_

_A cold hand snatches Buttercup's face suddenly, fingers digging into her skin as it tilts her head up. She narrows her eyes into a scowl as she looks up to face him. She may be restrained, but she's at least gonna look this sicko in the eyes. His eyes are startlingly intense, and she hates how transparent she feels when he looks at her. It makes her feel small, and no one has that right! Buttercup's eyes harden with malice as she lifts her chin to try and pull herself out of his hand. "Paws off, you bastard!" she snaps, her voice booming with a strength she doesn't feel. She wants to yell more, to shout and throw a tantrum. She's been screaming for who knows how long with all her might, but she's gotten no reactions. She wants him to react, to fear her and know he's made a mistake trifling with her!_

_He aims a smug grin at her, instead, and Buttercup narrows her eyes with contempt. She's getting sick of waiting around for him to do something, what was the point of all this? Fame, bravado, vengeance? Either or, if he isn't going to make the first move, then she will. Gathering as much saliva in her parched mouth as she can, she spits it into his face. Satisfied, Buttercup gets what she'd so hungered for, a reaction. He lets her go and jerks his face to the side, and a few moments pass before he moves again. Slowly, calmly, he reaches up and cleans his face off with his sleeve. What's wrong with this guy? Why's he not getting angry, fighting, shouting things at her? That's what they do! That's what Buttercup is used to! Buttercup can battle any monster, but staying still and waiting? She can't do that, that isn't her game._

_When he turns back to face her, Buttercup feels her fear escalate inexplicably. It's risen to a rolling boil inside her, frothing and spilling over the edges. She's never felt such grotesque and raw terror before, it's like it's burrowed and taken root in her chest. It was like an animal instinct, something she has no control over, and Buttercup doesn't take kindly to things she can't control, especially about herself._

_Sharp teeth bare in a cruel smirk, one that makes Buttercup have to swallow her heart. Finally, he speaks. She isn't sure if that's what she's been waiting for, but if it is, she wishes she could take it back. His voice is as cold and powerful as the manacles chaining Buttercup up._

" _You're going to regret that, princess," he warns her, right before he lunges at her prone form, ready to tear her apart like a starved lion going for a wounded deer. It's sharp claws and ravenous teeth._

Buttercup wakes up screaming.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue nervous laughter, as I started this thing way back in 2012, proceeded to never finish it, and now I have to start it over and somehow storyboard an actual plot out of it. I vaguely remember details that I wanted in the story that may help, so hopefully this won't be a train wreck. I debated scrapping it altogether, but I'm still quite attached to it and the ideas I had for it, so here I am. It's amazing that five years later I am still a slut for PPG, I fuck with Buttercup, she's my number one.
> 
> Warnings for this story include; sensitive topics such as self-harmful/destructive behavior, sexual assault, general violence, and talk of mental illness. I am writing based on my own experiences or knowledge that I have researched. I will tag as they come up!


	2. What's Inside my Head?

The door to Buttercup's room burst open with a great bang, offering little comfort to the green puff's already frazzled nerves. Rushing inside came Bubbles, her baby blue eyes wide with concern as she flounced up and into Buttercup's bed. The mattress dipped beneath her as she went to peer down at her sister, who was still lying motionless and staring up at the ceiling. Well, mostly the ceiling, now with a side of Bubbles.

"Buttercup? Buttercup! What's wrong?" Bubbles started, fretting over her sister. "What's the matter? Why did you scream? Are you hurt, did you see a monster in here?" Bubbles' voice grew shriller the longer Buttercup went without answering her, not realizing that she wasn't giving the older girl much of a chance to cut in.

Buttercup's dazed eyes came into focus as she shot a look at her distressed sister. The breathlessness remained in Buttercup's chest and she was working to fill her lungs with the oxygen they were starved of. The pain had faded from her limbs, though she still felt the pull of adrenaline in them. It made her want to punch the wall, but she doubted that Professor would be too happy about that happening…again.

Moving sluggishly, Buttercup managed to sit up, proving to Bubbles she was not mortally wounded, as Bubbles' worried tone implied. The blonde wrapped her arms around Buttercup in a hug, to which Buttercup flinched away from. Bubbles cocked her head in confusion, looking a little wounded, but before she could question it, they got interrupted. It was lucky too, because Buttercup was in no mood to go explaining her horrid night. Blossom and Professor both came darting into the room, arriving from downstairs if their delay was to go by.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? We heard you scream." Professor sat down beside Buttercup and began to rub her back, but she flinched away from him, as she had done with Bubbles. Any touch felt uncomfortable and unwanted. She couldn't shake the clingy anxiety from her dream, and right then, Buttercup wanted nothing more than to be alone so she could sort herself out. It'd been ages since she'd had a nightmare, and she sure wasn't gonna go talking about it. Getting scared of a stupid dream was for little kids, and she was way too far above that. Blossom took notice of the discomfort Buttercup had exhibited and opted to sit in front of her, instead. That gave Buttercup a little space while Blossom could still look worried. Sometimes, Buttercup appreciated Blossom's attentiveness, but not her nosiness.

Buttercup sighed, hiding a groan. Did her morning really have to start off as her being the star of a freak show? "I'm fine, guys! It was just a stupid nightmare." Her reassurance didn't have as strong an effect as she would have liked, due to how raspy her voice was. She felt as if she'd been screaming as much as she had in the dream. But, try as she might, Buttercup couldn't remember why it was she'd been screaming so much. She remembered the raw terror and the pain, she could remember cold chains, but the memory was fading fast. She shook it off. Good, it was nothing but a dream, she could forget about it and move on! She was gonna have way more important things to worry about—like why, when she glanced at the clock, it read 4:30 instead of 5:30.

Right. Blossom wanted to head out early because there'd been recent reports of a few robberies around, and the thieves tended to work early in the morning. Trust Blossom's desperation to do the right thing to interfere with Buttercup's desperation for more sleep, much more sleep.

Blossom narrowed her eyes at her sister, suspicious of how true that claim was. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, reiterating the same inquiry the rest of the family had, unconvinced despite Buttercup's reassurances. She didn't flinch at the glower Buttercup gave her. After all, she was more than used to the grumpy girl's cold looks, especially this early in the morning. It was Blossom's job to make sure they were all doing well—or so the redhead seemed to believe, though Buttercup seldom found it so helpful.

Fed up with everyone gawking at and fussing over her, Buttercup huffed out in exasperation. "Yes! Now leave, so I can get dressed!" she exclaimed, pointing to the still open door to usher them all out. She hated having her privacy busted in on without even a knock. Ever since they'd all gotten their own rooms, Buttercup had guarded her privacy like a dragon guarding its treasure hoard. The only person she even let in her room was Bubbles, who sometimes sought Buttercup out when she was afraid at night. That happened much less these days, but Buttercup still left her door unlocked for the blonde, just in case. Bubbles was the one who took it the hardest when they all separated, having slept in the same stupid bed for ten years, and then shared a room for thirteen. Without anyone to comfort her after scary dreams or when the dark became too intimidating, Bubbles would come to Buttercup's door whimpering. The green puff didn't have it in her to turn her sister down.

Professor stood up and gave Buttercup a kiss on the forehead before he left, holding the door open for Bubbles as the two took their leave. Blossom lingered, however, aiming a worried stare at Buttercup. It got met with an impatient scowl. Hadn't Buttercup already proved she was all right? What more did she have to do, bounce out of bed with a grin on her face? Not happening.

"I can't remember the last time you had a bad dream," Blossom began, "do you want to talk about anything?" The only one among them with frequent bad dreams had been Bubbles. Even with the occasional nightmare, Blossom couldn't remember ever seeing Buttercup have such a strong reaction to any of them, certainly not enough to wake up screaming for the whole house to hear. Whatever that dream had been about was obviously awful, and Blossom had never outgrown the need to care for her two sisters.

Buttercup's fingers twitched. Throwing the covers off herself, she got out of bed. "No, I want to get ready for school," she muttered, once again gesturing to the door to show Blossom out, just in case she'd forgotten.

Blossom raised her hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay, I can take a hint. I'll be downstairs. Don't be too late," Blossom warned. "We still have to give the police a hand and see if we can catch those robbers, and I've got a test first period." Blossom departed with a final shake of her head. She didn't understand why Buttercup had to be so stubborn and refuse her family at every turn. Blossom was trying to help, but Buttercup's aggressive independence often caused tension. If Buttercup could only accept a little help every now and then, it would make things much easier!

Once the door was finally shut, Buttercup let her head loll to the side. Her black hair, cropped to around her chin, was in a frizz around her head. She imagined she looked a lot like how she felt. How her family had managed not to laugh at that was beyond Buttercup. Honestly, she'd seen Blossom on a bad hair day, it was impossible not to laugh at! Granted, Blossom wore her hair to her waist, so she looked more like a red porcupine on bad days.

With a reluctant groan, Buttercup stood up. She felt too tired to even lift her feet, but she couldn't afford to miss another day of school. Blossom, Professor, and her teachers had gotten on her case about missing classes already this year, Buttercup couldn't take another three-way nagging session. So, resigning herself to her fate, she started to get dressed. Instead of sprucing up much, she tossed on a loose-fitting band shirt that Professor had given her a while ago. It was a comfort, something Buttercup craved. What? She was allowed a comfort object, too! Once she was looking remotely presentable and ready for the day, she turned to look at her mirror to double check, and came to a pause. It was the first she'd taken the time to study herself that morning.

She looked a little bit like crap. Not much better than she felt, truth be told. She studied her reflection for a few moments, growing angrier by the second. In her chest lurked that lingering fear and helplessness she'd felt inside that nightmare. Now, those were the only pieces she had left of it, and she planned to sweep those right under the rug. She had a nagging desire to push herself to think on it, to remember what it'd been about, but she came up blank. Where she'd been, why it was happening, it was all fuzzy and useless. The most prominent question clawing at Buttercup's attention, though? Who the dream was about. She had a sneaking suspicion that the dream had been about someone rather than somewhere, or something. Still, she couldn't for the life of her recall, even when she spent several minutes trying. Great, now she could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

From downstairs, Buttercup heard her sister shouting for her. "Come on Buttercup, we're leaving now!" Bubbles called up. It was a miracle the neighbors didn't wake up hearing that high pitched tone. Confused, Buttercup shot a look at her clock and realized how much time she'd wasted. Man, if she were ever put in charge of this city then she'd be sure that school started a lot later. She was gonna be tuckered out from hunting for robbers and in no mood for algebra, or chemistry, or any other thing that involved an inkling of brain power.

She rushed out the bedroom door, getting her backpack along the way. While darting through the kitchen, she snatched up a granola bar, something that wouldn't have made Professor all too happy if he'd known that was all Buttercup was eating. But, he wasn't around right now, was he? Unless one of her sisters tattled, Buttercup would be golden. Once outside, Buttercup launched into the air, having to hurry to catch up with her sisters. Buttercup nibbled at her meager breakfast as she soared over treetops, careless if her crumbs fell onto some unsuspecting person way below her. Buttercup noticed that the day was quite windy, meaning two things. One, it was a little difficult flying against the current, and two, Blossom had done her hair up in a bun.

Buttercup couldn't resist. "Hey bun head, why do we need to get up so early if school doesn't start for another hour? We can catch a robber or two in ten minutes." Buttercup usually saved her complaining about Blossom's decision making for times when she was more awake, when she had better remarks. But, getting up early was sinful, so Blossom deserved getting teased. Besides, what if today was the one day the robbers didn't strike, or they decided to do it later in the day, when the girls were at school? They'd have to be the world's worst robbers if they kept a consistent time every robbery!

Blossom shot her sister a look while Bubbles giggled into her hand, failing at hiding it. "That's arrogance, Buttercup," Blossom chastised. "I just wanted to see if we can catch the thieves since they usually work very early in the morning, according to the police. They don't seem very dangerous, I was thinking we could try and catch them off guard. It would give the cops a bit of a break, at least!" Blossom smiled. Jeez, it was sickening how cheerful Blossom could be so early in the morning. Buttercup could lose her granola bar, if it was worth the effort, and nothing was worth anything so early. The sun was only just peeking out over Townsville. "Besides, we can always use practice to stay at the top of our game, right ladies?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes. That goody-two-shoes was always looking out for some sort of work to make all of them do. Granted, in Blossom's defense, things were getting a little boring lately, and Buttercup felt like she could use a criminal or two to knock around. It didn't mean she couldn't complain, annoying Blossom was totally in Buttercup's job description.

While she was busy internally monologuing about the injustice of waking up early to play hide and seek with some petty thieves, something happened to catch Buttercup's keen eye. Perking up, she glanced down towards a corner jewelry shop, where she'd caught sight of two figures dressed all in black hurrying outside of the jewelry store. Well, what a perfect start to the morning. They were clearly both men, burly despite the exaggerated bulk of their jackets that had to be stolen goods. "Hey sis, are those our guys?" Buttercup nodded down to the pair of creeps.

Blossom followed Buttercup's gaze before she gave a nod of affirmation. "Great eye, Buttercup. Let's go, girls!" Blossom dropped down first, strands of her bun billowing around her from the wind. She inhaled a deep breath, filling her lungs to capacity and puffing her cheeks out. When she exhaled, a shiny sheen of ice froze the ground beneath the robbers, her frosty breath creating a slippery slope. The robbers lost their footing within seconds, flailing to the ground with about as much grace as a fawn.

"Oi, what gives?!" A heavy city accent shouted out as one of the men face planted into the icy ground. The other managed to get his footing and headed for the unfrozen road, shouting in anger as his feet slid about beneath him. It was way too early for all this noise. Coming to hover in front of the wannabe escapee, Buttercup punched him square in the jaw, sending a bag clattering out of his jacket. Sparkling jewelry clattered to the ground; combined with the shimmering ice, it looked rather majestic, if Buttercup cared enough about that. It was quite a haul, too, it looked like the two freaks had tried to stuff the whole counter in one tiny bag.

"Are you kidding? If you're gonna break the law, at least make it worth it!" Buttercup snapped, snatching the bag up and shaking it in the robber's face. Blossom cast a disapproving look at Buttercup for the comment, but she was too busy wrestling another bag out of the thinner thief's hands to bother reprimanding the green puff. Police cars were already speeding down the road, having been alerted by the store's tripped alarms. The air was silent, and she was willing to bet one of these guys was the one who'd set the alarm system up and knew how to turn them off. Too bad he was an idiot who couldn't even do that much right, he must’ve forgotten the silent alarms that alerted the stations. She was glad for the alarm, though. Buttercup really loved those things when it meant she didn't have to wait on the cops to show up. She could just toss the baddies at the police and be on her way.

Buttercup planted her foot on one thief's back while Blossom and Bubbles held the arms of the other, keeping them restrained as the police officers clambered out of their cars. "Thanks for the help girls, these two have been pretty sneaky!" A rotund officer stepped up to the robber that Blossom was currently holding. She offered a polite smile as she shoved the grumbling criminal off to be handcuffed.

"It's not a problem, officer! We're doing our jobs," Blossom said. Buttercup hopped off the criminal, who groaned as the police officers hefted him up and pushed him towards one of the patrol cars. Buttercup smirked, seeing baddies get their dues definitely made her morning. Once Blossom felt assured the police had everything under control, she beckoned her sisters to fly away from the scene. Right, school…Buttercup could have almost forgotten. As the girls were departing, one of the robbers flipped them the bird before his arm got wrenched into a handcuff.

Bubbles stuck out her tongue at the man in retaliation. "Jerk!" she called down, folding her arms as she followed Blossom's lead. "Some people are so rude!" Her genuine offense made both her sisters roll their eyes in good-natured humor.

"Yeah, criminals typically aren't much for manners, Bubbles," Buttercup smirked, nudging Bubbles' leg with her own as she passed by.

"It still doesn't mean they have to be so offensive! I mean, who taught them their manners?" Bubbles started a rant, much to Buttercup's chagrin. Bubbles could probably make a serial killer feel awful for his actions if she was given enough time. Buttercup supposed that was why the blonde aspired to become a counselor, it'd suit her well. It didn't suit Buttercup, though, and she zoned in and out of her sister's impassioned words. It wasn't all because she was trying to ignore Bubbles, though, she wasn't that mean. Most of the time.

No, it was the dream that was bothering Buttercup. Her focus kept zeroing in on it, trying to pick out any clues from it. Though she forgot most dreams anyway, it bothered Buttercup that she couldn't remember that particular one. It still left an awful taste in her mouth, even a couple of hours after waking up. Che, it was just a stupid dream! She'd probably never have anything like it again, so she needed to shake it off. She wasn't going to let a silly nightmare get to her today, not when she had a stupid speech due later in English. Having gotten so caught up in her thoughts, Buttercup didn't notice when they'd arrived at their high school building, and almost smacked into Blossom.

"Watch it, Buttercup!" Blossom chastised, beginning to drift down to land. She even made landing look all dainty. Buttercup grumbled in response and dropped to the ground with a thump, her green sneakers squeaking on the dewy grass. She didn't have time to be all graceful like her two prissy sisters, who floated to the ground like damn flowers. Buttercup had an impact to make!

"You two are so slow," Buttercup muttered, leaving her sisters in the dust. Not that the ancient brick building was too welcoming, especially with the teachers loitering in the halls watching the students like ravenous eagles. Blossom loved saying how much history the school had, but all that meant to Buttercup was that things were eerie and weird. "God, I can't stand this place. Full of bad smells and annoying kids," Buttercup huffed, scuffing her feet along the floor. "I'm tired of this place."

"We've heard. Plenty of times, too," a feminine voice interjected Buttercup's displeased speech with playful teasing. Buttercup couldn't help the smile that stretched across her face as an arm slung around her shoulders.

Turning to face the newcomer, Buttercup welcomed her friend with a gentle nudge in the ribs. "Hey, don't sneak up on people, Azora. You might get a face full of this!" Buttercup feigned a punch at her friend's face, but the other teenager didn't even flinch. She'd known Buttercup since high school had begun and definitely wasn't afraid of her. That sucked the fun out of it, but Buttercup still tried.

"As your elder, I demand respect, Powerpuff!" Azora lifted her chin, all haughty. She was only a grade above Buttercup, she'd even been the one to show Buttercup around the school. It was like having a weird high school guardian. It was gonna suck once Azora graduated and went off to even more annoying, tougher classes in a faraway place that Buttercup did not like to think about. "I miss when you were a cute newbie, you know? Nervous, uncertain where to go, getting lost every period, the good stuff!" Azora tilted her head back with a forlorn smile. "Now you're all big and tough. Speaking of, did you kick any ass this morning?" Azora pushed her dark indigo hair away from her eyes to look at Buttercup. Buttercup kept meaning to ask what dye her friend used—though she doubted Professor would let her.

"Yeah, just a couple jewelry thieves. Only took a few punches," Buttercup grinned. "Oh, word of advice, stay off Petal Road today. It's iced." Sarcasm dripped from her words as she shared the warning, and her gothic friend heaved a suffering sigh. Seeing how she lived on that road, Azora didn't think it'd be possible to avoid it.

"Remind me to ask Blossom if she can thaw out the same stuff she freezes," Azora mumbled. When the pair reached Buttercup's first class, astronomy, Azora reached out and held the door open for her friend. "Have fun in science hell while I'm off to enjoy art class!" Azora grinned, trotting off once Buttercup was inside the room and leaving the younger girl biting back a scathing reply.

Pouting at the loss of a good comeback, Buttercup crossed her arms as she headed into class, deciding against lingering in the doorway. That was how people got trampled. As she headed towards her desk, Buttercup caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair. Her jaw dropped in incredulity as she stared at Bubbles, who waved at her enthusiastically. "How'd you get here before I did?" Buttercup demanded, all but pouting. She did not pout, she glowered.

Bubbles giggled, covering her mouth like she was sharing a secret. "I walked, silly! Like everyone else!"

Buttercup suspected Bubbles, who often arrived at places far faster than either she or Blossom did, of teleportation. However, without decent evidence, Buttercup had yet to prove that. Maybe she should ask Professor to test Bubbles…that wasn't a bad idea, she could use it for her annual science project.

Buttercup took her seat and, instead of engaging in the cacophony and chaos surrounding her, took out her notebook and began to doodle. What she'd give to be in art or gym right about then, somewhere to distract her and keep her from remembering the troubling night she'd had. What kind of luck did she have to get a class like astronomy first thing in the morning, a class that required actual thinking? Not to mention having Bubbles in it. If Buttercup acted up, she had to deal with Bubbles' heavy disapproval, and run the risk of her tattling to Blossom, or worse, Professor.

As she doodled, she would occasionally grow fed up with her cartoons and ball up the piece of paper to toss it at someone's head. She had to stifle her laughter every time the poor idiot looked around, searching for the culprit. Suddenly, a pained cry made Buttercup stiffen, putting a stop to her fun.

"Ow, quit it, Mitch!" Bubbles cried out.

Buttercup's gaze shot to the side to look at her little sister, and watched as Mitch tugged on the blonde's pigtails. Already in a mood from about everything else going wrong that day, Buttercup stood up and stormed towards Mitch to swipe her leg under the boy's chair. He went down flailing, his chair dumping him straight onto the ground face-first and swearing as it toppled over. "Hey, asshole! Hands off my sister!"

Bubbles' look of grateful relief made Buttercup salute her in mutual understanding. That sweet expression morphed into a freezing glare that Bubbles aimed towards Mitch not a second later, only to then turn into worry when the fuming teacher came bursting into the room to investigate all the sudden commotion. Great, now Buttercup could add one more thing to her shit list of the day. Why did teachers always have the worst timing?

"Buttercup, Mitch! Do we need to call the parents again?" The teacher, a bookish older woman, snapped. Her glasses glinted as she adjusted them, aiming her infamous stink-eye at Buttercup and the punk, Mitch. Both perpetrators shook their heads earnestly, hoping to avoid getting any detention slips. Mitch had enough, Buttercup was willing to bet, and she herself had just completed a set of her own. She wasn't looking to get on any other teachers' bad sides. The teacher nodded her head in satisfaction and told the two to take their seats so that she could start class. Buttercup withheld a groan as she flopped into her seat, a boneless mass that wasn't ready to map out any stars that day.

Yeah, great.

* * *

Buttercup had scraped through the school day by the skin of her teeth. She'd almost conked out during algebra, but she'd managed to drag herself all the way up until she was trudging out of the school doors. "I hate the guy who invented school," Buttercup grumbled, listless as she headed outside with her sisters in tow. The cheerful sunshine did little to improve her dismal mood, and in fact, the warmth only made her even sleepier.

Last night really had been a doozy, she couldn't wait to get home and faceplant in her bed. Her homework consisted of some reading (optional until lunch tomorrow, frankly) and a half-finished math sheet that she'd get to. Sometime. Look, she wasn't her sisters, all right? Bubbles was gonna be the greatest counselor in Townsville and Blossom was headed either for a career as a scientist or a doctor, she hadn't chosen yet. That was great for them, but Buttercup was probably gonna take a class or two, or maybe sleep for two solid years after graduation.

Blossom giggled as they rose into the air, clapping her hands together in that special way of hers when she was getting ready to share something that Buttercup probably didn't care about. "Schooling goes back past 5,000 B.C. Buttercup! I'm sure more than one person created it, you couldn't hunt them all down even if you could go back in time!" Blossom exclaimed, getting starry-eyed at the thought of ancient schooling and how students went about their education.

Buttercup shot her dorky sister a flat look. "Do you remember any useful facts?" she remarked, to which Blossom turned away with a sniff. Buttercup felt a little bad raining on her sister's day, but she herself hadn't had the greatest one, and she didn't need Blossom shoving her nerd facts in everyone's faces. For the whole day, Buttercup had been unable to erase that stupid dream, the one she could hardly even remember, from her mind. A few of Buttercup's teachers had gotten onto her throughout the day for spacing out in class. During gym, one of the jocks had knocked her down by mistake because she'd kept slowing down by accident. Buttercup couldn't help sinking into her own head sometimes, and now she had a scraped knee to show for it.

The whole way home, Buttercup remained silent, not even bothering to greet their father as they arrived. Bubbles floated over and plopped onto the couch, rummaging through her backpack for what Buttercup would bet was homework. Ugh, what kid did their homework the second they got home?

The kid with anxiety who was paranoid about being late on anything. Right. Stop being a jerk, Buttercup reminded herself.

"At least we're home now, Buttercup! You've looked a little tired, now you can unwind!" Bubbles giggled.

The sound grated a bit on Buttercup's nerves. "How are you so optimistic all the time?" Buttercup snapped, letting her bag slip off her shoulder and to the floor. She didn't mean to be so harsh, but Buttercup got a little like an angry toddler when her basic needs weren't met. Tired? Snappish. Hungry? Tantrum. With her poor night of sleep combined with such a long day, it made for a toxic recipe for a crappy mood. Luckily, Bubbles was used to her sister's volatile moods, and merely smiled at Buttercup in gentle patience. That smile could be lethal, as soft as it looked. Buttercup clung to the idea that Bubbles could make the strongest villains alive melt with one simple grin.

With a stubborn huff, Buttercup decided to vacate the room before Bubbles got to her and made her feel things. Stomping up the stairs, because that exemplified her mood better than hovering did, Buttercup headed for her sanctuary; her bedroom. With its soft green color and array of posters, it was a true Buttercup nest. She yanked her curtains to and turned on her lava lamp, making a cozy place to catch a nap. Kicking off her shoes and exchanging her jeans for her bedtime shorts, Buttercup threw herself onto her bed with an unceremonious flop. The bed frame creaked some as she got comfortable, piling her blankets and pillows around her. Hopefully surrounding herself would make her feel safe. She felt nice and comfortable, no way for a nightmare to happen again, right? Especially not so soon after having one last night. Eventually, finally, Buttercup managed to fall asleep.

She would sorely regret it.

* * *

_Pain wracks Buttercup's body. Her arms and legs scream in protest when she tries moving them, and she isn't dumb enough to try twice. They'd fallen asleep while she had been immobilized for so long. The ache is a throbbing pain that only grows worse when Buttercup tries stretching out. God, how long has she been out? The last time she'd gotten so stove up had been when she and Mitch had that video game competition over the summer, it'd lasted all night. Now, though, her limbs feel almost atrophied, like they're burning away inside her._

_The chilly air makes her want to curl up into a ball, but she can't shift an inch. She can only lift her head, and that brings her no comfort, once she comes to realize the position she's in. She's on her knees, with her arms pulled above her head, keeping her chained back against the wall. Her ankles are cuffed as well, keeping her kneeling and unable to stand. It's an awkward, painful position, and she has no idea how long she's been holding it._

_What's with the spottiness in her memory? It's like someone's taking white-out and blotting out certain places. Buttercup feels paralyzed, like if she stays in this position any longer, her limbs are going to freeze that way. What if they just fell right off? Maybe, she wonders, that would at least take the pain away. Out of nowhere, a voice breaks the silence, coming from right ahead of her. Buttercup hasn't noticed him, and for that she viciously scolds her inattentive senses. Her hair stands on end at the sound._

_"I was wondering when you'd finally come to, sleeping beauty. I was gettin' bored over here!" the voice exclaims, a cackle following._

_Buttercup snaps her head up, her heart jumping as her lungs feel like they're shrinking. No, not again, not this again. Déjà vu is a sour taste in Buttercup's mouth. "Where am I?" she snarls, pushing all her rage and agony into her voice. If she could sink her teeth into him, she would, they're all she has left to fight with. Is this the same room? The one she was in last time? Or…had last time even been real? It feels too jumbled, distant yet right in front of her all at once. Dizziness leaves Buttercup feeling like the entire room has flipped upside down. All that remains in front of her is the boy, clear as day in a room of static darkness._

_His laugh mocks her once again, chasing a chill down her spine. He leans down, and she winces as he reaches out. He tilts her chin up with cool fingertips. "Why Buttercup, don't tell me you're afraid. You, the toughest of them all. Do you fear me?" His lips curl into a vindictive smirk that reminds Buttercup of something, someone, but she cannot place a name to it._

_Twisting herself as much as she can, she struggles to tear herself out of his filthy hand. "Never!" she shouts. If she can do nothing else, she can at least scream. "I will never be afraid of dirty, slimy jerks like you! Let go of me, you creep!" Her demands bounce off the walls surrounding them, walls she cannot see, and yet it still feels like they're closing in around her._

_Making a face, he shakes his head, slowly as if she might miss it. With a tisk of disapproval that reminds her of someone clicking their tongue at a dog, he drops his hand from her chin. "Manners, Buttercup! You gotta remember them. Maybe someone oughta teach you better respect for your superiors!" He raises a hand up, but before Buttercup can react, before she can even anticipate it, he's cracking his open palm across her face with a painful "smack!"_

_Her head snaps to the side and she cries out at the sudden flare of pain on her now red cheek. She grits her teeth, preparing a litany of expletives that will melt his stupid head. What she could say that would scare him, she isn't sure. Any amount of threatening and obscenities seem a little redundant, when she's hidden away and tied up. This isn't like him, he likes a fight. Or is he afraid she's gonna outsmart him again? That's a riot, but Buttercup has to do something! She can't take this sitting down. She has to stop this. He can't hit her and get away with it!_

_He can't do whatever he wants to her!_

* * *

"Buttercup!"

Buttercup found herself yanked right out of slumber by someone shouting her name. With a gasped intake of air, she burst forward and crashed right into Blossom, who had been leaning over her. Both girls cried out in collective pain, reaching up to rub their throbbing foreheads. The collision had knocked Blossom onto Buttercup's bed, where she sat to regain her composure. "Goodness, Buttercup!" the redhead groaned.

"What's your problem Blossom?!" Buttercup was still half in the dream. At least, she felt like it. Her heart was racing and her muscles were twitching, pins and needles raining across her skin as feeling returned to her limbs. She must've slept on them wrong. "I don't remember inviting you into my room!"

Blossom gave her sister a rather cold, slightly perturbed look, red brows knitting together.

"You wouldn't wake up," Blossom explained, using that tone Buttercup couldn't stand. Like she was fragile or slow. "We've called you three times! Honestly Buttercup, you're like trying to rouse the dead!" Blossom shook her head with a frustrated sigh before she exited the room, still rubbing at her head. For goodness' sake, Buttercup had launched up like she was running from something! Blossom considered herself lucky not to have gotten concussed in that collision. She would let her sister cool down before pressing the matter, but Buttercup was worrying her…none of that was like her at all.

Buttercup sat still for several moments, rubbing her head and her shoulder where she'd also knocked against Blossom. Her skin felt cold and clammy, and her eyes felt sandy with exhaustion. That nap had been all but useless, she wanted to turn in for the night and skip dinner. Buttercup glanced out of her window to watch the setting sun, and she felt a shiver course through her at the darkness that imbued the sky. She was wasting time, and she knew if she didn't get down to dinner soon, Professor would try coming to get her.

When Buttercup stood to walk, her legs stumbled and almost gave out beneath her. She had to catch herself on the edge of her dresser, and the pain jolted something within her. The fine points of her nightmare came rushing back to Buttercup in vivid color. The cold chains on her wrists, the numb pain in her limbs, the suffocating volume of terror that seemed to engulf her whole. It all came hurtling back and almost sent her collapsing back into bed. She remembered it all.

Except for who her attacker was.


	3. Land of Monsters

Last night had been hell for Buttercup. She'd been so anxious after the nightmare that she was too edgy to fall asleep, and she'd avoided getting into bed until almost the middle of the night. She'd actually sat down to finish all her homework; do you have any idea how messed up that was? By the time she'd finally dragged herself to bed, too tired to even hold her eyes open, she thought she'd be too exhausted to even dream. Too bad for her, all she did was toss and turn for the rest of the night. That was how she found herself staring at her alarm clock with gritty eyes, watching the seconds tick closer to wake-up time. "This is stupid," she grumbled, fed up with her body refusing to fall asleep. Today was going to be even worse than yesterday, and she'd hardly survived that! "It was only a stupid dream, why am I acting like such a kid?"

Buttercup rubbed her hands down her face, her head throbbing with exhaustion. It wasn't as if the dream could hurt her. God, she was acting like Bubbles, all sissy-ish and dramatic over the silliest thing. No matter what Buttercup told herself to toughen up and suck it up, though, she'd never managed to bring herself to sleep. Fake or not, that nightmare had shaken her up. Her vague memories of it reminded her of those creepy horror movies, ones where the captive had to outsmart their captor before the grand finale. Maybe she was having nightmares because of those dumb movies, or maybe it was stress from the school year having just started.

"Brring! Brring!" The sound of Buttercup's alarm clock shrieked beside her head, drowning out the sound of her long-suffering groan. She rolled over and slammed her fist down on the blaring object, crushing it and sending the destroyed remnants scattering across the dresser top and floor. Great, that was another alarm clock down the drain. Professor was probably going to quit replacing them and come to wake Buttercup himself if she kept up her serial destroying of them. With a yawn, Buttercup pulled herself into a faintly upright position, contemplating if she could get away with taking a sick day. She doubted it, Professor had gotten too good at sniffing out true sickness. Buttercup didn't think he would believe her if she said she was too tired to go to school.

Still, as she dragged herself out of bed, she did feel sick to her stomach. She stumbled over her own feet on the way to the bathroom, the mere thought of getting ready sounded like enormous effort, not to mention getting through seven school periods. She almost used her toothbrush to brush her hair instead of her actual hairbrush, and she knocked her deodorant off and sent it clattering to the floor. The whole mess was starting to get on Buttercup's last nerve, she felt as clumsy as a bumbling monster trying to pick its way through the city.

Once she'd given up and decided that today was a tank-top and sweatpants type of day, despite the warm morning, Buttercup headed outside. She hoped the world was more prepared for her than she was for it. "I swear to god, the first person to mess with me today is going to get a fire hydrant up their ass," Buttercup seethed to herself, clomping down the stairs like a bear. Had Blossom overheard her, she'd have probably gotten on Buttercup's case for "sounding like a bad guy" instead of a ladylike superhero. Not everyone could be little miss perfect.

Bubbles peeked around the corner of the kitchen then, meekly assessing Buttercup's mood. "Um, I made pancakes if you'd like some, Buttercup!" Bubbles offered, smiling at her sister. The thought of warm pancakes melted Buttercup's gelid mood a little. Bubbles was pretty good at doing that.

Blossom, on the other hand?

"Good morning, sunshine," the redhead said over her cup of tea, eying Buttercup with critical eyes. "Are you sure you're not just going to set the table on fire with that look of yours?" Yeah, Blossom wasn't as great at it. Buttercup took to ignoring the other girl as she kicked her chair out to take a seat. She didn't even bother with cutting her food up, and stuffed a whole pancake into her mouth. It was a talent of hers that few others were impressed with.

"Oh my gosh, Buttercup! Chew your food before you choke!" Blossom exclaimed, cupping a hand over her mouth as she watched her sister scarf down the breakfast like she was a starved beast. It was a harrowing display, and Buttercup had most certainly not picked those awful habits up from any of them!

"Hey, I don't tell you how to handle your pancakes, do I?" Buttercup pointed out, tipping back the syrup bottle and letting some drizzle into her mouth. Okay, so that was partially only to peeve Blossom. It was too easy, and Buttercup needed the pick-me-up.

Thoroughly disgusted, Blossom stood from the table and curtly thanked Bubbles for breakfast before heading out. Buttercup watched her sister storm off, noting that even then, Blossom managed to make her anger refined. Was there anything that could pop Blossom's little bubble of perfect class and normalcy? She always had to stay within the lines, play the "American Sweetheart" card. She was probably going to marry some boring banker guy or strict doctor dude and have three kids living in a white house. The whole dream.

Bubbles chewed her food in tiny bites, observing Buttercup's famished eating habits with widened eyes. She was often the median between the two, not always taking sides, but she'd learned to speak up over the past few years and she knew when to step in. Clearing her throat, Bubbles asked, "Why do you make her so angry all the time?"

Bubbles' question made Buttercup pause in her giant swig of orange juice. Rolling her eyes, Buttercup shrugged. "What are you talking about? It's not my fault she's so prissy all the time," Buttercup muttered. "If she'd lighten up, she wouldn't get so angry at everything. Someone needs to make her mad or else she'll get too uptight!" It wasn't that big of a deal, it wasn't as if Buttercup had gone into Blossom's room to read her diary. She'd only done that like, once, and it had resulted in a house-wide fight that almost burned down the living room.

As Buttercup took care of her dishes, she washed them with a little more force than was necessary, and perhaps tossed them into the cabinet a little too carelessly, but at least she hadn't left them on the table for Professor to lecture her about. She didn't make that mistake anymore; Professor used to wait until she got home, then proceeded to guilt her about doing her fair share of housework. Buttercup was so getting the hang of "becoming a fine young lady" as Professor liked to tell them. Still, this "fine young lady" was ready to faceplant on the kitchen floor. Maybe if she was very still, Professor wouldn't notice her.

Heading into the living room, Buttercup noticed a significant lack of Blossom and her frilly pink bag. She deduced that the eldest Powerpuff must've already left, leaving Bubbles and Buttercup to head off on their own. Fine, if Blossom wanted to be alone, that suited Buttercup just fine! Who needed the smarty-pants around, anyway?

On the way to class, though, Buttercup caught Bubbles giving her pensive glances. Heaving a loud sigh that spoke volumes about Bubbles' lack of subtlety, Buttercup broke the silence. "I'm not gonna apologize. She's just overreacting like she does with everything, and she'll get over it like she does with everything, too!" Buttercup folded her arms. Why did it always have to be her fault? She rarely saw eye to eye with Blossom, but…Buttercup thought that some of her spite that morning was due to her lack of sleep. It was true she'd gotten on Blossom's nerves on purpose, but come on, did Blossom really have to throw a tantrum?

"Well, that may be, but it would still be nice to say you're sorry. You know she hates messes and bad manners and all that!" Bubbles kept her distance from Buttercup, as if her sister might blow up any minute. Buttercup did feel like a time bomb, but more like she was going to pass out when the time depleted instead of blowing up. Irritated with Bubbles taking Blossom's side, Buttercup muttered under her breath about goody-two-shoes, peacekeeping sisters. Bubbles pursed her lips and flew over Buttercup, aligning her back with Buttercup's before floating down on top of the green Powerpuff. She didn't quite put her full weight on the other girl, but it was enough to make Buttercup sink and need to right herself. Buttercup rolled her eyes with a grunt, but she didn't protest or attempt shoving Bubbles off. This was something they had always done with each other; especially to Buttercup, since she was physically the strongest and most capable of supporting either Bubbles or Blossom.

"I'll leave you alone for now, grumpy gills. But, I'm watching you!" Bubbles warned, even though she was about as threatening as a rabbit.

Buttercup scoffed. "Kind of hard to watch me when you're on top of me," she pointed out, pushing up some and taking Bubbles with her. The blonde giggled, floating up a little to fly on her own once more. Bubbles had a great bond with both of her sisters, and sometimes it felt like she was the glue holding them together. There were days Buttercup looked at Blossom and wondered how they were ever related at all. Then again, she felt the same about Bubbles, too. They all looked and acted nothing alike, usually. At least Buttercup wouldn't have to face Blossom during the school day. Blossom, of course, had all AP classes. Buttercup didn't have the energy for that, but all that homework sure suited her know-it-all sister.

To Buttercup's immense fortune, the first half of the school day went by without a hitch. She wasn't sure who was luckier though, her or the people around her, because she didn't have the patience or energy to handle any crap. She just wanted to turn in her homework (to which her teachers raised eyebrows at the fully completed work) and then take little naps while she pretended to take notes. Most of the time, she didn't even have to jot notes down. She took them from Bubbles, usually, who sometimes even wrote little snippets for Buttercup inside her journals. It was cute, aside from the times Bubbles lectured Buttercup about paying attention in school. Hey, she'd made it to junior year, hadn't she? That was a pretty big accomplishment, if you asked Buttercup.

On the way out of lunch was when things started go downhill a bit. Buttercup had nibbled at her food, too tired to even feel that hungry. Last night's dream had been so painfully vivid, Buttercup found herself rubbing at her wrists. She had never had such vivid dreams, not since that one stupid spider nightmare. She spent her whole lunch period trying to come up with what might be causing the dreams. Was it something she was eating? Nah, she wasn't the one who sneaked midnight snacks, that was Bubbles. Was it the horror movies and books? No, she'd read those for years and they'd never caused her problems. Frustrated, Buttercup felt close to snapping a lunch table clean in half if she didn't get answers soon. Maybe it was best to leave the cafeteria before she got herself permanent detention.

On her way outside, Buttercup caught sight of Bubbles standing near the library entrance along with Blossom. She headed over to the pair, mostly out of habit. But, the second Blossom caught sight of Buttercup, she quickly said something to Bubbles before she turned her nose up at Buttercup and clicked away on those shimmering high-heels of hers. Buttercup was still awaiting the day something tragic happened to Blossom because of those deadly, pointy shoes.

Buttercup huffed as she approached Bubbles, somewhat annoyed at Blossom blatantly ignoring her, though she'd gotten pretty used to it. "Is she still throwing a fit?" Buttercup asked. She had seen Blossom hold a grudge before, but over some freaking pancakes? Did eating somehow make Buttercup a criminal, now?

Bubbles turned towards Buttercup with a pout on her lips. "Buttercup! You should try seeing it from her point of view! If you would just say you're sorry for eating like a monkey, this would stop!" Bubbles began tapping her foot, much like a mother chastising her child for throwing a tantrum in the grocery store.

Buttercup, dumbstruck at Bubbles' display, spluttered for a few seconds in search of a good comeback. "Well, she could do the same! It's not always my fault, you know! Maybe I'm tired of having to treat her like a princess all the time!" Shouting at Bubbles was definitely not one of Buttercup's favorite things to do. When she saw the blonde's lip tremble, she knew she'd screwed up. Couldn't Buttercup just catch one break?

"You can be such a mean person, sometimes!" Bubbles exclaimed. She then turned on her heel and darted off moments before the bell would ring, leaving Buttercup standing there with clenched fists and two apologies to give, now. "Damn it, why couldn't I have had a dog instead of sisters?" she groaned, leaning heavily on the lockers. To make it better, the bell rang right then, now meaning she was late. That meant that those lockers deserved a good kick. She was too numb to dent the metal luckily, but the noise echoed down the hallway and she had to skedaddle before any nosy teachers came to investigate. Hurrying made Buttercup's weary head throb, and she felt her limbs sagging, longing to sprawl out on the nearest flat area and sleep. Hell, Buttercup would sleep on top of a row of desks right about now.

She headed off to her next class, well aware that she was probably going to pass out face-first on her desk. She'd come up empty when she tried piecing together more details of her dream—which, although she remembered the pain, she found herself unable to remember much else. Where she was or why she was there were both questions she was dying to find out. Were the dreams connected, somehow?

A part of Buttercup wondered if she should ask Blossom, since the redhead was so smart she might know a thing or two about dreaming. But, Buttercup's stubborn nature was greater than her curiosity. She would just have to wait the nightmares out, just like she'd have to wait out Blossom's grudge.

Somehow, both those options weighed heavily in Buttercup's chest.

* * *

"Yo, B.C., you look like you just crawled out of a coffin!" Buttercup heard one of her classmates jeering at her. She didn't appreciate the comment she'd heard from over her shoulder, to which she responded by raising her middle finger. She heard the boy snicker, but he didn't risk speaking up again. She could fling him across the parking lot, after all. Not that she would, because she would be grounded until she moved out, but she could. It was the principle that mattered. The final bell had rung, meaning she was a free girl, but she still had to make it out of the building. Getting bustled and crowded out of school was about the only way to get out of the place; fortunately, once she was outside she could abandon the cluster of people and fly away.

"Excuse me, Buttercup!" an older woman's voice called.

Or, maybe not.

Stifling a sigh, Buttercup dropped back down to the ground. With as much a smile as she could muster (which wasn't too impressive) she turned around to face the teacher who was hurrying towards her.

"I'm sorry to stop you, dear!" the teacher panted, "I meant to ask you if your sister was feeling well? Blossom is always so focused in class, but today she was quite distracted."

Buttercup blinked once, twice, baffled that Blossom had taken their earlier spat to heart. Buttercup's silence deepened the worried crease in the teacher's brow. Through grit teeth, Buttercup answered, "She's just fine, we had an argument, that's it." Had Blossom really let that affect her focus like that? She never allowed anything to come between her and her studies, certainly not a stupid fight with Buttercup. Or were the teachers so obsessed with their poor, perfect little prodigy that they noticed when even a strand of her great hair was out of place?

"Oh! Is that all?" the teacher smiled, placing a hand over her chest. "That's good to hear, I thought something might be wrong at home. Sisters fight all the time, goodness knows I did with my own sister. You two will make up soon, you'll probably even be the best of friends when you're older!"

Buttercup doubted that seriously. After this long, she was dubious about any so-called "best friendship" happening. She waved as the old woman walked away, still chuckling. That old bat had to be on her last legs of sanity if she believed for a second that Buttercup and Blossom could ever be that tame with one another. Yeah, that'd happen, right after Bubbles started cussing or sleeping without Octi.

Buttercup made the journey home on her own, giving herself some time to think. She observed the ground below her, counting the ant-sized people as they scurried around without a care in the world. Unlike Buttercup, whose body felt heavy and her eyes all sandy. She let them slip shut for a few seconds at a time until she almost smacked into a wayward bird. Both of them cried out in surprise before Buttercup ducked to the left, avoiding the frazzled bird. Well, that was a wake-up call.

Rubbing her temple, Buttercup groaned. School could have gone by so well if not for Blossom's princess complex. "Of course they notice when Blossom is upset," the raven muttered to herself. "Precious little Blossom gets everyone's attention, doesn't she?" Buttercup folded her arms as she weaved around the skyscrapers reaching way up into the sky. Up there, she was safe from any sisters.

Up there, she was safe from dreams.

Blossom had always commanded attention, from being the leader of the Powerpuff Girls to excelling at everything she did, academically to extracurriculars. No matter what, people were always throwing their hearts at her, admiring her, and she didn't even have to try. Blossom was a favorite among school staff, being an honors student and setting a good example and all that fluffy crap. She was popular among the student body too, people were always sneaking glances at her and whispering her name, some of them even too afraid to approach her. Buttercup couldn't imagine that, being nervous to approach that dork?

The people of Townsville were also, obviously, Blossom's biggest fans. They loved her soothing and authoritative personality. She could take any situation and fix it, no matter the chaos or danger at hand. That was why she made a good leader…but people didn't have to point it out every three seconds, did they? Even when at home, Blossom had a spotlight on her! She was all polite, enjoyed cleaning and organizing, and she often spent time with Professor bonding over science and other stupid, smart stuff. Buttercup had hoped taking astronomy this year would give her a subject of her own to talk to Professor about, but the past couple of days she'd been too tired to remember what the teacher had even been saying.

Buttercup kicked at a flagpole that she passed. The whole ordeal with her sister was the last thing she needed on top of her problems with sleeping. If she didn't get a good nap soon, she was going to turn to dust, Buttercup was sure of it. "It's not even my fault she's so whiny about everything," Buttercup grumbled. "It was just food! What's her stupid problem? That I offended her delicate senses?" Buttercup didn't realize she was shouting until several birds burst from a tree she was passing, scattering to escape her echoing voice.

With a sheepish chuckle, she zipped off, hoping that no people had heard her yelling to herself. Was that a symptom of exhaustion? Was the pain throbbing behind her eyes also a symptom? Because they were all getting annoying. How was she supposed to be a hero (or even a student) like this?

The sight of her home didn't provide the relief Buttercup had hoped for. Buttercup craved her bed more than she'd ever craved anything in the world, but there was a prickling anxiety about lying down to sleep. She didn't feel like facing a nightmare again.

What was she talking about? She wasn't scared of any dumb dream! It was just a little spooky nightmare, nothing that could actually hurt her. Right? Absently, Buttercup rubbed at her wrists, where she could remember the feeling of cold metal clamping down on them. She couldn't remember ever feeling pain like that in a dream, but they must be particularly vivid. She needed a little alone time, that was all, time to rest and get all the nervous energy out. As she landed on the stoop outside, though, those intentions got crushed by both of her sisters rushing out of the door.

"There you are! I was getting worried, why did you take such a long route home?" Bubbles exclaimed, her words coming out in a rush. "We got called to check out a monster that's out terrorizing the east side of the city!" Bubbles finally took a deep breath at the end of her story, while Buttercup reeled from the info dump.

"So, I can't go upstairs and take a nap?" Buttercup asked, deflating.

Blossom sighed and flew over her sisters, heading for the sky. "We don't have time for this, let's go before it moves. The last thing we want is to wander over the whole city hunting down a rampaging monster!"

Bubbles grabbed Buttercup's hand and took off, dragging the grumpy girl with her. "It won't take long, Mayor said that it's pretty small! We can just blast it and come right home!" Bubbles beamed, though her optimism did little for Buttercup, who was beginning to feel nauseous at the idea of all that work. Oh, how she hoped Bubbles was right.

Buttercup followed after Blossom in silence, holding out on her tenacity. She wasn't going to be the one to speak up first. Bubbles was uncomfortable being in the middle of the spat, and sometimes she would hum a little song to keep the awkwardness at bay, though it didn't really work. It was a good try though, Buttercup commended her for it.

Out of nowhere, the fight came to them, launching the trio right into the thick of it. "Buttercup, on your left!" Blossom called out, whirling around when she caught the sound of something approaching. Buttercup glanced in the direction and dropped down just in time to avoid a flyaway shred of metal.

"What the hell, man!" Buttercup cried out once she'd recovered. "Don't you know it's rude to go around throwing crap at people?!" she snapped, launching down at the scaly green creature. It wasn't all that impressive, not to a trio of superheroes who had met beasts grander than the Eiffel Tower. This beast was perhaps half the size of most of the taller buildings in the city, so Buttercup was betting on it being an easy win.

The monster roared at the incoming teenager as Buttercup rocketed towards it, but the carnal sound choked off into a pitiful wheeze as she drove herself into its gut. It flailed as it toppled over, overpowered by the collision with Buttercup. It gave Blossom the chance to come down on its chest, her leg extended to kick it and crush it down into the pavement.

Buttercup felt about as dazed as the monster appeared. Her head was spinning after the attack she'd dealt, and she felt the overpowering desire to collapse and catch her breath. Her exhaustion had no place in a battle, not when she'd done this for her whole life! She was always the last to become drained, and certainly never after a single hit. Buttercup groaned as black spots flashed in her vision, prompting her to bring a hand to her head. So out of it, she didn't notice the monster's tail lashing about like a whip. It sent a couple of cars flying from the force, and then it whipped right against Buttercup. The suddenness of the hit made her scream in shock and pain as she went down, crashing against the asphalt and scraping her right shoulder up pretty bad.

Hastily, Bubbles careened between Buttercup and the beast, getting a good grip on the monster's tail to prevent it from doing any more damage. "Buttercup! Are you okay?!" Bubbles called out, digging her nails into scaly flesh to keep the monster from moving too much.

"I'm good," Buttercup shakily called back, peeling herself off the ground. Her pride had taken the hardest hit, but it was safe to say she was a fair bit more awake. Blossom hovered above the scene, taking in the monster and gauging their course of action. Buttercup began to float up, prepared for Blossom's directions.

"This thing has gills, girls!" Blossom snapped her fingers and pointed towards the ocean. "Maybe if we get it back to the water, it will calm down. Buttercup, you get beneath its back, I'll support its head while Bubbles gets the tail!"

Buttercup had to stop herself from growling, much like the monster was, and trudged towards the center of the wriggling thing. As she hefted it up onto her shoulders and felt Blossom picking up the rest of the weight, all three girls began to float upwards, moving at a steady pace as to not startle the monster. The last thing Buttercup wanted was for the thing to start flailing and take out the middle of a building. As they carried the monster towards the seashore, Blossom led them out several miles, where blue roiled beneath them. The monster cried out, the longing in its voice enough to make even Buttercup's heart ache. "Why did you go so far from home then, dummy?" she murmured, even if it couldn't hear.

"I think right here will do, it's far enough away!" Blossom shouted as she began to lower the beast. It quieted as it sunk into the water, finally mollified. For a moment, all three girls worried the monster had gone into shock; another moment passed and it began to swim, though, as if it hadn't been out of the water for a minute. They watched it vanish into the depths, a green splotch in a midst of sapphire waves. "That's a relief," Blossom sighed, wiping sweat from her brow. "Another job well done, ladies. Let's hope that thing stays where it belongs for a while!"

Buttercup grumbled as she rubbed her raw palms on her pants. At least the thing hadn't been slimy—but damn had its tail packed a punch. Even with the adrenaline still in her veins, Buttercup felt the throbbing tiredness in her limbs. Shame colored her face when Blossom glanced at her, and the green puff could just about here the scathing scolding on Blossom's lips, but it never came. The two had forgotten their tension in favor of finishing the job, but now without anything requiring their full attention, the girls cast each other a cold look before turning their backs on one another. Bubbles groaned at the display, her shoulders sagging in despair. She was tempted to ask the monster to come back, at least then her sisters would work together!

"You guys, can't we forget this morning? Please!" Bubbles pleaded, trying on a bright smile in hopes it would coax the stakes in her favor.

Blossom wasn't having it, though. She folded her arms, her long red braid flowing some in the wind. "I'm tired of letting everything go and forgiving it. Buttercup can take some responsibility now and again," she stated, her tone as cold as her famous ice breath.

Buttercup bristled at the accusation. Shaking her head to knock some clarity to the forefront, she pointed her finger in Blossom's direction. "Me, take some responsibility?" she snapped, her dark brows knitted in a scowl. "How about you! You're always acting like such a stuck-up brat! Why don't you stop trying to control everything I do?" Buttercup couldn't believe it, where did Blossom get off trying to blame Buttercup? She always thought everything was Buttercup's fault, and the younger girl had taken about enough of it!

Blossom returned Buttercup's angry expression with equal odium, her eyes glittering with anger. "Excuse me? All I was trying to do was get you to be a bit more respectful! Goodness knows a lesson in etiquette wouldn't hurt you!" Even when she was furious, Blossom's voice remained collected instead of her raising it. Buttercup could hardly remember when she'd last heard Blossom shout, she needed a very good reason to lose her cool, and apparently Buttercup wasn't even good enough for that, huh?

Nearing the end of her rope, which was already chewed short, Buttercup threw her hands in the air with a shout of exasperation. Nobody was around to hear them, so who cared? "I don't 'need' anything! What I need is for you to stop acting like you're so much better than me! Not everything is about you and your perfect rules, and if you took your nose out of your books, you might see that!" Buttercup's hands clenched at her sides, and she could feel her throat tightening. Everything inside of her was spilling forward, and it wasn't even all about Blossom, but Blossom had triggered the flood. Buttercup was just…she was so tired. She felt sick to her stomach and she just wanted to lie down and block out all the noise and brightness around her.

"I'm only trying to look out for you, Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed, her eyes now shining. "I'm not trying to train you into a pet! I don't think I'm better than you, I just want you to be the best you can be! Why do you have to act like I'm attacking you all the time?" The redhead shook her head, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

Great, Buttercup could see Blossom was close to bursting, but she was too close to the edge herself to care. If Blossom wanted to start angry-crying like she used to when she was a preteen, she could go ahead!

"Because I always feel like you are!" If Buttercup's voice grew any louder, she was sure windows would start cracking all the way back in Townsville. She wanted to toss Blossom into the water, maybe it'd cool her down. It wouldn't hurt her, it'd sure piss her off, though. Right when that thought popped into Buttercup's head though, a piercing shriek cut through the air. Both she and Blossom covered their ears as the shrill, siren-like scream filled their eardrums. When the sound ceased a few seconds later, Buttercup could still hear ringing in her ears.

Stunned, she turned to look at the culprit of the sonic scream, whose slender hands were curled into tight fists. It was hard to believe such a sound could come out of Bubbles. Right when Blossom was starting to speak up, Bubbles interrupted. "Stop it, guys! You two are sisters! I don't want us fighting like this, the only things we should be fighting are bad guys!" Bubbles was a small package, the shortest of the trio (though a little chubby) yet when she got upset enough, she was more formidable than any monster. It was made worse by the obvious pain in her eyes that Buttercup felt awfully guilty about. Bubbles hated arguing, especially between Buttercup and Blossom.

The two girls glanced at each other, but they both clenched their jaws against any apology. If they had anything in common, Buttercup thought it had to be their stubbornness. So, Blossom did the only thing she could come up with, and that was to compromise. "Not around Bubbles," she stated.

Buttercup nodded her head. "Agreed," she replied tersely.

Bubbles, to her credit, wilted only a bit at the news. What if she glued herself to their sides? Then they could never argue again! Though…then Bubbles would be stuck with Blossom's perfectionism and Buttercup's grumpy syndrome. She'd put that plan off for a little longer, for now, Bubbles welcomed the peaceful silence that ensued on their flight home. More ideas could be formed later, after all! And Bubbles could enlist the help of Professor, he'd be more than willing to help her out. Especially once he knew Bubbles wasn't asking him to model for her paintings again, even though he was great for still life works.

The sun was beginning to set on the way back to their home, and a faint chill was in the air, signaling the approaching autumn. Buttercup regretted throwing on a tank-top that day. She crossed her arms over her chest, prepared to fiercely deny feeling cold should one of her sisters ask. The wind up in the air was always nippy, and nearing the season change, it made the cold seep into Buttercup's bones. She exhaled a weak sigh, her head lolling down as she struggled to keep herself awake enough to make it home. Goosebumps were beginning to cover her skin, and right when she was getting ready to pester Bubbles about sharing her jacket or something, Buttercup felt a foreign sensation prickle on her skin. Out of nowhere, a buzzing noise filled Buttercup's head, deafening her, and causing her to freeze midair and clap her hands over her ears. It did nothing to silence the noise, it was like it was coming from inside her head.

Buttercup was just opening her mouth to ask her sisters what that awful sound was, when a sudden bolt of pain lit up her entire body. Buttercup's muscles locked, her mouth agape in a silent scream. It seized her whole being and knocked the wind out of her. For a moment, Buttercup believed she had gotten struck by lightning and that she was dying. But, as soon as it started, it was over, everything vanished as if nothing had happened at all. The only sign she hadn't imagined it was a faint sizzle of electric adrenaline in her veins. Stunned and still reeling, Buttercup swallowed thickly. "What the hell was that?!" she asked, looking towards her sisters. Her frantic voice caught their attention, though they'd flown a little way ahead. Bubbles and Blossom shared a look with one another before turning wary gazes onto Buttercup.

"What do you mean?" Blossom asked, cautious. She'd noticed nothing, but Buttercup looked pale, like something had spooked her.

Buttercup stared in awe, too high-strung for several seconds to manage anything articulate. "You…you're kidding, right? You didn't feel that?" Or at least heard that buzzing sound? The electric tingle was fading now, almost gone, and with both her sisters staring at her like she'd grown a second head, Buttercup was starting to doubt the validity of what had transpired.

"Buttercup, you look really sleepy. Maybe we should get you home so you can go to bed," Bubbles suggested warmly, floating closer to Buttercup in worry that the other girl was going to take a plummet towards the ground.

With a shaky nod, Buttercup tried to ignore the icy pit that had opened in her gut. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she murmured, too focused on herself to pay much attention to anything else, including the way Blossom kept glancing back to ensure that Buttercup was still following along and not fainting up in the air. She'd looked close to doing exactly that moments earlier, and Blossom couldn't fathom what had upset the rock-solid girl so much. Blossom almost never saw Buttercup look so shaken, she was too headstrong and proud to let much get to her, but the past few days she'd been very out of the ordinary. Blossom pursed her lips and looked ahead again. Buttercup didn't want her help, so why should she worry?

Once they made it home, Buttercup made a rather ungraceful landing and needed Bubbles to help steady her a bit. The blonde took Buttercup's arm, reluctant to even let Buttercup walk up the stairs by herself, but Buttercup shook her little sister off. "I'm fine," Buttercup groused. "I'm just a little behind on sleep. We've been busy, y'know?" Buttercup hoped her weak explanation would pacify Bubbles, and once she flashed the blonde her usual cocksure smile to help soothe the worrisome girl's nerves, it seemed to work.

"Well…I guess, but call if you need anything! We're all home, so one of us will come running!" Bubbles patted Buttercup on the back, bidding the girl sweet dreams before she floated to the kitchen, leaving Buttercup to go to her room.

Bubbles found Blossom in the kitchen, her blue eyes glittering with emotion as she floated towards the redhead. Buttercup had looked so unwell, but she wouldn't say anything! "She's acting so strange, Blossom! I'm getting really worried!" Bubbles whispered, twiddling her fingers.

Blossom sighed with heavy weariness. She, too, was beginning to notice Buttercup was acting off, but it hadn't been for long enough to press for answers. "Buttercup has her own way of going about things, I'm sure she's fine. Let's give her time to rest, she may be getting back into the rhythm of school. I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she's not coming down with anything, okay?" Blossom smiled, wrapping Bubbles in a gentle hug. Buttercup was a tough girl, whatever was bothering her she would fix soon enough without interference, something she probably wouldn't appreciate. "Come on, let's go finish that sketch you were working on, maybe that will cheer you up!"

Bubbles visibly perked up at the thought of her drawing, something she'd been working on a few days now. Bubbles' art was one of the most important things to her, she'd been drawing since she could hold a pencil! Besides, it would be good to divert her attention. She couldn't help unless Buttercup asked, and like everything else, it would be a waiting game.

* * *

Buttercup locked her door once she was in her room. It was an automatic flick of her fingers that made her feel safer, like nothing could get to her from inside her bedroom. She dropped her backpack (which was dusty from her dropping it outside on the porch earlier) and stood still for a moment, breathing, waiting. What had happened to her back there? It had been such an intense, blinding flash of pain, like getting struck with a bolt of lightning, but neither of her sisters had felt or heard a thing! It didn't make sense, nothing like that had ever happened. They always experienced things together, they were three peas in a pod. Buttercup had never been so…alone.

In a fit of frustration, she swiped her arms across her desk, sending books and pencils tumbling to the floor in a precarious heap. It only made a mess, but it helped alleviate some of her pent-up anger. Was she losing her mind? It had only been a couple of days, she wasn't that far gone yet. Maybe she'd feel better after one night of good rest. Everything would be better tomorrow and she could forget those stupid dreams and get her life back together. She couldn't afford mistakes in battle like that, what if it had been a more serious villain? Buttercup was gonna put herself in danger as much as her sisters, and the rest of the city! No way, Buttercup had to be in top shape.

As she headed for her bed, she felt a sharp pain on the sole of her foot and swore. She'd forgotten she'd shattered her alarm clock this morning, and it'd given her a rude reminder. As if to mock her, a memory of Blossom warning Buttercup about cleanliness popped up. It made her want to break the clock all over again out of pure spite. Stumbling onto her bed, Buttercup pulled the pointy piece of debris out of her foot and went to clean up the other pieces before she cut herself again. The meager task drained Buttercup, leaving her to collapse in her bed in relief, not even bothering to undress. She couldn't even remember being this tired before, even when she'd had to pull all-nighters to study because she'd 'forgotten' a test was the next day.

If it were possible to feel any sleepier, Buttercup would have faded away. As she sprawled out on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, where a smattering of green glow-in-the-dark stars decorated, she thought it must be about the most boring thing in the world. If you discounted Blossom's tangents about this documentary and that exam, or whatever else popped into her head. Buttercup smirked. Right about then, listening to a well thought out analysis about something might help her sleep.

Buttercup couldn't muster the energy to do anything, but her heart was too heavy with paranoia to even want to go to sleep. Closing her eyes, Buttercup took a slow breath. "Just a dream, just a dream, nothing can hurt you in a dream," she chanted to herself. Besides, what were the odds of having a nightmare for the third night in a row? She was probably too exhausted to even dream at all!

This all felt a little too familiar.

But, with those logical explanations lodged in her head, Buttercup deemed her personal pep talk good enough to roll over and burrow beneath her blankets. Blankets kept the monsters away—or so Bubbles said.

Buttercup wasn't sure if it counted for real monsters.

* * *

_Drowning._

_She is drowning._

_The burning in her lungs is frigid, filling her from the inside out until she can no longer tell if she's freezing to death or burning alive. It reminds her of the time she had a contest with Blossom to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest—only this is ten times worse. Buttercup opens her mouth to try and drag air into her collapsing chest, but she only sucks in more of the brackish water as she frantically claws upwards, trying to get her head above the surface. Her body is beginning to lock up from the cold and cruel waves pushing her farther away from the surface. Instead of the reprieve of air, Buttercup worsens the fire in her chest. It's choking her, spilling into her lungs and coating her bones with inky, liquid terror. Her very blood is replaced with water, she can feel it seeping into her, leaving her paralyzed. Now she's starting to panic, if she doesn't get air soon…_

_Right when she begins to feel herself falling still, unable to continue thrashing and battling the water, Buttercup feels a pressure in her hair. A strong hand yanks her out of the water, where she inhales so fast that she chokes on the droplets of water still clinging to her face. Oxygen, pure and sweet, fills her mouth as she gasps in hungry lungfuls. She hacks up black water, coughing with such vehemence that she expects to heave up her entire stomach. The hand that had just pulled her out of a watery grave drags her backwards, sending her toppling onto solid ground in a sopping heap. The impact of her body colliding with the ground resonates through Buttercup's throbbing body; her very being aches and her chest and throat both burn with a fierce fire. Her bones themselves feel so cold, so frozen, she wonders if they had cracked like ice upon her landing._

_Spluttering and choking, still trying to suck in all the air she can, Buttercup wipes the water from her eyes. Breathing had never felt so good in her entire life, not even all those times when she could finally inhale deeply after broken ribs had mended. Buttercup swears to herself to never again take breathing for granted. Shivers wrack her soaked figure to the point that she feels like she's vibrating, her teeth clack together no matter how hard she clenches her jaw. The gelid chill is a cruel reminder that Buttercup may be able to breathe, but she's far from being out of the red zone. She's still paralyzed and in shock, pain engulfing her freezing and half-drowned body._

_A sudden, warm hand rests against her cheek then, reminding Buttercup she is not alone, someone had pulled her out. She flinches, both in start and in internalized reflex. Her addled mind tries to remember who's with her—her sisters? Had she fallen into the ocean after defeating the monster?_

_No. That isn't right. The person who had saved her life had been the one trying to kill her._

_Barely coherent, Buttercup rasps out a growl. "Stay back! Stay away from me!" It's not as threatening as she'd have liked, but it's articulate. She kicks her legs out to try and hit her attacker, but her limbs feel heavy and useless. Her body, her greatest and most fearsome weapon, is worthless to her now. She can't get her hands or feet to respond to her, to move and push her up. She doesn't want to go back in the water, she doesn't want to be touched! She doesn't want his hands on her! "I…I swear I'll finish you! Keep your dirty hands off me!"_

_Bitter shame colors Buttercup's face when she realizes that her words sound like pleading. She, a renowned hero, does not resort to begging! Not ever! She's always the one winning, listening to monsters beg! She is not the one who has to ask for mercy! "Do you hear me?!" she shrieks, her voice falling out of her control as panic launches up her throat._

_The hand, the same one that had hurt her, saved her, and touched her cheek with such reverence, pulls away. The relief to have his hands off her is fleeting; soon it clasps around Buttercup's throat, pushing her down against the ground and compressing around her windpipe. She wheezes and swings her arms up to scratch at the arm pinning her down, but her strength is sapped, her chest is still heaving and suffering from her ordeal in the water. Having her air cut off again so soon leaves her dizzy and reeling. She's too weak to knock her attacker off—she's too weak. Instead of spewing threats at him, Buttercup finds herself forced into silence and looking him in the eye._

_He looms above her, those dangerous eyes of his glinting as if he had an emerald fire deep inside him. "Look at yourself," he scoffs, disgusted. "You can't even fight me! How do you hope to save everyone when you can't even save yourself?" his words gradually morph into a hiss as he lowers himself to speak close to Buttercup's ear. It wrenches a shudder from the prone girl that reaches all the way inside her, as if it's instinct for her to be afraid of who he is, of what he is. She turns her head to the side then, refusing to look at him anymore. If all her attempts to free herself will fail, then the least she can do is to not react and give him what he wants. She isn't afraid—she doesn't need anyone else to save her, she'll show him!_

_He chuckles above her. "You're always putting on such an act, trying to be so brave and tough, huh?" he says, cocking his head. "The little Powerpuff who goes off to save everyone." With a gentle finger, he presses against a bruise on Buttercup's shoulder, where she'd hit the ground after he'd thrown her. The soft action is belied by each word growing colder. "No one is around to be brave for you, though. No one is there when you need someone else to be strong. You're left all alone, aren't you?" he murmurs, the censure as sharp as any knife. He speaks as though he pities her, and it makes Buttercup nauseous. She can feel his words filling her lungs this time, suffocating her like the water had. No, he's wrong, she doesn't need saving! She doesn't need anyone else taking care of her like she's a helpless little girl! She's a fighter, she's—she's—_

_Buttercup chokes on a cry as his hand tightens around her throat. He's leaning down now, bringing his bright eyes close to hers. "You're the savior," he says, grinning wickedly._

" _But who's going to save you?"_

* * *

Buttercup jolted awake to the sound of a loud crash and her own body hitting the floor. Panic consumed her when she found herself struggling to move and breathe, but she soon realized that it was only her blankets. They felt like cloth hands trying to drag her underneath them, away from fresh air. Grunting with frustration and exertion, Buttercup managed to tear herself free and swing the blankets away from her. They scattered among the things she'd knocked off her desk earlier, leaving an even bigger disaster for her to tiptoe around in the morning.

Sitting up, Buttercup ducked her head to hide her face against her knees, waiting with baited breath to hear running footsteps. When none came, she risked a glance up. It was pitch black outside, not even any lights in the neighboring houses were on, leading Buttercup to realize it must be much later than she'd thought. Lucky that she hadn't woken any of her family up, huh?

She moved to get up, but when she put weight on one leg it gave out on her and she tumbled back to the floor. With a wince, Buttercup moved to rub some feeling back into her numb limbs. God, why were they asleep? Had she tangled them in the blankets? Or…no. No, that didn't happen, feelings from a dream didn't follow you into the waking world, even Buttercup knew that much. Once again, Buttercup found herself trembling, only able to remember bits and pieces of the nightmare that had sent her flailing off her bed. It had been cold, freezing cold, and she wasn't able to breathe. She could still feel a hand around her throat like an iron choker, but…

"Why can't I remember more? Stupid, stupid brain!" Buttercup snapped, tipping backwards to lie on the floor once more. She curled up in a ball and turned to her side, getting a good vantage point under her bed, where several socks and shoes lived, along with an extended dust bunny family. As she lay there, Buttercup's shaking grew worse, and a lump rose in her throat. She shut her eyes tight before they could dare get misty, because she did not cry. "What's wrong with me?" Buttercup whispered, sniffling some. She hoped something in the shadows might have an answer, but only silence ensued. Even the darkness didn't know. The only response came from outside, where an owl called and prompted Buttercup to turn and look out the window.

The moon sat fat and glowing in the sky. At least it provided a nice nightlight. If the room was entirely dark, Buttercup feared it might've devoured her whole. Her own head felt filled with darkness, leaving her thoughts hazy. She shouldn't be this way, she wasn't the type to get bad dreams like this. She was letting herself be weak and fall victim to a face she couldn't even remember! God, what would Blossom say? Buttercup couldn't picture the other girl ever getting such dreams. She probably dreamt of scholarships and her knight in shining armor riding in on his horse, like in those fairytales Blossom used to love so much. Bubbles would just hug her stupid stuffed animals and feel safe again, so she was gonna be no help.

Buttercup thought about going to the kitchen to get a light snack, or even waking up Professor so she wouldn't be alone, but she shut those ideas down adamantly. She was too old to seek out her father for safety, and venturing out into the dark stairs didn't sound too appealing. It wasn't that she was scared! The stairs would be cold on her feet, and…and what if she woke someone else up and had to explain herself? See? It was logic!

So, she continued staring underneath her bed, counting the dusty bunnies. She felt a little less tired, but she knew she couldn't go on like this. She was already struggling to focus in class, and what about that mistake during the fight yesterday? She couldn't ever let that happen again! It was humiliating, and she could have gotten hurt. Or worse, one of her sisters could have gotten injured. Buttercup needed rest, but she felt like falling asleep right now was out of the question. She was too high-strung, too nervous. Every time she closed her eyes, Buttercup saw a flash of green. She didn't understand what it meant, but it sent a piercing chill through her. Exhaling a melancholic sigh, Buttercup disturbed a few dust bunnies. She snorted then, at the memory of Bubbles once believing monsters lived under the bed. "We were stupid when we were little," Buttercup mumbled. "There's no monsters under here, only dust."

_Monsters don't hide under our beds, they lurk inside of our heads._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note, am I the only one who always viewed Blossom as the eldest, Buttercup the middle, and Bubbles the youngest, even though they were born literally the same moment? It makes no sense, but it's a headcanon lmao.
> 
> I'm basing Buttercup's experience with nightmares and insomnia on my own, as I struggled with a nightmare disorder growing up and still have bouts with them. I plan to do further research while also including my own first-hand experiences, and if anyone else has their own stories to tell, do share!


	4. Feel it in Your Bones

Buttercup used her fist to stifle a yawn, the nth one of the night. She'd stopped checking the time after realizing it was giving her "night guilt" and making her anxious about not being in bed. She refused to go to sleep though, not when she knew she was gonna have another one of those dreams. Buttercup wasn't falling into that trap, and trust her, she knew how to see a trap from a mile away. She'd go to sleep once she knew she was safe from those dreams, when she got too tired to hold her eyes open, maybe then she could sink past the reach of those claw-tipped nightmares.

They were messing with her head, getting in there and rattling things around. She'd lost track of time—how many nights had these nightmares been occurring? Six nights, seven? Had it really been a full week? Jesus, things couldn't go on like this, and Buttercup was no closer to figuring out what the hell the dreams were even about. She still suspected they were unveiling like a murder mystery, what with the feeling of fear and helplessness? It was like any victim's sob story. Except, Buttercup was no victim.

Wrapping her arms tighter around herself, Buttercup sighed, weariness fogging her mind. She'd taken a couple of short naps, but they were only cat-naps throughout the day. She'd been setting alarms that woke her up before she could slip too deep. The thought of waking up screaming again, the feeling of someone's hand around her throat or wrists…it made Buttercup shiver, and it wasn't because of the night chill. She wished she'd thought to bring her blanket downstairs when she'd gotten up. Staying in her bedroom was too tempting, what if her bed called out to her? "Come, Buttercup, come lie in my warm blankets!" Buttercup doubted she'd be able to resist.

"Buttercup?" a man's voice murmured, nearly making Buttercup jump out of her skin.

"Professor!" Oh man, now she'd gotten caught. Rubbing the back of her neck, Buttercup huffed out a sheepish laugh. "Wh…what are you doing up?" she asked, cutting her eyes to the side.

Professor folded his arms as he looked down at her. "I was heading to bed, which is right where you should be. What at are you doing up? Is there something the matter?" he asked, his tone warm and worried and making Buttercup wilt like a depressed sunflower.

"It's nothing," she muttered, rubbing at one of her arms. She risked a glance at him to find his brows knitting together, and she knew he didn't believe her. Of course he didn't, she couldn't even convince herself. But, how was she supposed to admit to being scared of a bad dream? She wasn't a sissy like Bubbles. Besides, Professor would only make her look at it from a "logical" point of view, which included reminding Buttercup that dreams weren't real. Yeah, she knew they weren't, too bad that didn't stop them from trying to be. "Okay," she finally relented, blowing a few strands of hair out of her face. "I just had a bad dream…maybe a couple." Or maybe a lot, but she didn't want to worry Professor!

Professor nodded his head with a thoughtful hum and took a seat beside Buttercup. She leaned into him when he reached an arm around her shoulders, his silent strength and comforting warmth wrapping around her like a shield. She took a deep breath, smelling his cologne and the scent of coffee, what he used to stay awake while down in the lab half the night. Right here, right now, she felt like nothing could ever get to her again.

"You know," he started, "when I was a kid and had a bad dream, my mother used to have me write them down in a journal."

Buttercup blinked at that. "A journal?"

"That's right," Professor nodded. "Writing them all down helped me remember them, and it helped me to face them and realize they couldn't hurt me. It might even help you find a cause for the nightmares, and we can beat them," he told her, rubbing her back.

Buttercup mulled the suggestion over. She did have a journal in her room, it was a diary Bubbles had gotten her as a present, its pages were still pristine and waiting for secrets to spill across them. "Maybe," she said, still dubious about the idea working. "But they're just dumb old dreams, nothing I can't handle!" She punched her closed fist into her palm.

Professor chuckled, "I'm sure you can. Nothing can get the best of my tough girl, right?" he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Buttercup's head before he stood up. "Now, come on, you need rest."

She needed sleep like she needed a hole in the head, but she followed Professor upstairs anyway, vanishing into her bedroom with a final goodbye. Once inside, she leaned against her door with a long groan. Now she was stuck in her room with her thoughts. As she looked to her desk and saw the journal (one of the many things she'd had to clean up) she pursed her lips with thought. It'd gotten hidden away under stacks of papers and trinkets, but maybe it was like a sign. She had nothing to lose, did she?

Sitting down, Buttercup took a pencil and flipped open the journal to the first page. And…she stared. What was she supposed to write? She could hardly remember a thing from her dreams! Well…aside from the crushing sense of fear. She could write about that, it was her journal, it wasn't like anyone was around to judge her anemic details. The sense of fear was the worst part of the dream. It wrapped around her like a lead blanket, curling its claws and blocking her escape. She couldn't even see an escape in sight in any of her dreams, so much of them looked like static darkness. They didn't start off that way…no, she didn't think so. Sometimes she was in a room. There were chains jangling, too, every time she moved.

She was chained up, the first few dreams, Buttercup remembered. She'd been unable to move with her wrists locked above or behind her, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break them. No matter how much effort she put out in any of her dreams, nothing seemed to work, it was as if she had no superpowers at all! They were null, gone, making her feel weak and small like she imagined most citizens felt when in the face of a hero. Buttercup scribbled the words in her journal, expelling her terrible sense of fear that she could not explain. There was nothing in her dream causing her terror…not that she could remember anyway. (By the way, wasn't her memory supposed to start going bad when she was old, not when she was a teenager?)

Remembering the feeling of her limbs being restrained, unable to use them to fight or defend herself…it was the most vulnerable Buttercup had ever felt. Buttercup's body was a weapon, her best and strongest one, and she'd been unable to use it. She'd been weak and helpless and—

Buttercup gripped the pencil tighter.

Was that what was causing the fear? No, that fear had pervaded Buttercup's head and chest before she'd understood she was restrained. And what about the last dream? The one where she was almost drowned? She'd been free in that dream, but it hadn't mattered, she'd still been too weak and dazed to…to what? She remembered that she'd been in danger, but…danger from what? Buttercup couldn't remember. She remembered…green, like a deadly acid, an emerald fire that pulled every alarm inside of Buttercup's body. There was danger in her dreams, Buttercup was certain of it, even if they weren't real, there was…there was just something about them.

No matter who she was fighting, Buttercup had always come out on top. Sure, there'd been a few losses, but the heroes always prevailed, that was how things worked. Buttercup didn't lose, she didn't play the victim or coward cards. She didn't let anyone make her feel weak, but how was she supposed to fight something she couldn't even see, couldn't even understand? Could you battle your dreams? If she could, she didn't know how, because in all her nightmares, she felt like a target on display. She was sluggish, her muscles wouldn't work right. Whatever she was dealing with was powerful, maybe…maybe it was stronger than she was.

Recalling that flash of green, fear pierced Buttercup's chest. She had to figure out what it meant. What was she so afraid of? Why was she dreaming about it? Was she afraid of…fire? Green fire? She had to find out, otherwise it might get worse. Buttercup couldn't fathom going on with dreams like that, with the suffocating fear. She was too paranoid to go to sleep, each loud sound made her jump, as if someone might lunge forward and wrap their hand around her throat.

Buttercup didn't realize her hand was shaking until she looked down. The last few sentences looked like they'd been written with a palsied hand. That was enough for tonight, Buttercup had written all she could remember. It didn't look like it'd gotten her very far, all she'd been able to write about were feelings. Well, there was a little bit of a running theme, wasn't there? She felt weak and useless, and almost like she had to escape something, but…it'd already caught her. She just couldn't fucking remember what… _who_  was in her nightmare. Not like it meant anything, they were just dumb feelings in a fake dream that was a bunch of  _bullshit._

Now shaking from something entirely different, Buttercup slammed the journal shut, eager to escape the dream. She flopped into her bed and reached for a comic book. She was not going to give in and fall asleep. It might give her more to write about, but it wasn't worth it. While she was awake, she was safe from those heinous feelings and fears. Mostly…

Nothing could get you when you were awake.

* * *

"Buttercup, come on! We're gonna be late!" Bubbles continued rapping her knuckles against Buttercup's door, her glossed lips set into a frown. "Why didn't you set your alarm?!"

The door yanked open then, and Bubbles stumbled back a step. Buttercup glowered at her, fully dressed and looking a little less than happy about it.

"Oh, Buttercup!" Bubbles covered her mouth, her eyes round with surprise. Buttercup had dark circles under her eyes, and she looked pallid, almost sick. "Do you feel all right? You don't…you look a little under the weather," Bubbles offered, trying to be kind even though her sister looked like she'd just risen from the dead.

"You look a little in my way," Buttercup grumbled, shuffling past Bubbles. She looked fine, who cared? All she was going to do was sit in class all day, maybe kick a criminal in the face if today were a good day. As she made her way downstairs, only stumbling a little in her drowsiness, she met Blossom sitting at the table. Blossom glanced over the top of her cup of tea at Buttercup, who took a seat and promptly dropped her head onto the table.

Bubbles floated downstairs and looked at Buttercup before sharing a worried glance with Blossom, who cleared her throat. "Rough night?" she asked, laconic, still a bit peeved at Buttercup over their argument.

Buttercup grumbled at her, waving a listless hand in the air.

"Are you sure?" Bubbles pressed, leaning closer to Buttercup. "You look ill. Are you not sleeping—"

"I said I'm fine!" Buttercup snapped as she sat up. Bubbles recoiled as if Buttercup had struck her, looking affronted. "Why can't you just drop it?"

"She's only trying to help!" Blossom interjected, standing up and looking down her nose at Buttercup. "You should appreciate it, because you look awful!"

Buttercup narrowed her eyes at Blossom, simmering with anger. She didn't need her sisters breathing down her back. "I'm sorry that we can't look as perfect as you do!" Buttercup said, pointing her finger in Blossom's chest. "And I didn't ask for her help! And I definitely didn't ask for yours!"

"It's a good thing, too!" Blossom sniffed, snatching up her bag. "Because you don't have it!" With that final statement, the redhead stormed out of the room.

"Oh, Buttercup!" Bubbles puffed her cheeks out in a pout. "Why did you do that? We're just worried about you!"

Buttercup watched Bubbles fly out of the room, her blonde pigtails bouncing behind her. With an exaggerated groan, Buttercup collapsed in her chair. That wasn't how she'd wanted to start her day. Did she  _ask_  either of her sisters for their worry? No, so why was it her fault? Maybe she did look a little different, but so what?

Buttercup picked up a spoon to look at herself. Her reflection grimaced. Yeesh, those were some pretty bad circles, and her hair was sticking out. Blossom was right, she looked like hell. Buttercup rubbed a hand against her cheek to try and get some color in her face. Maybe she'd rummage through Bubbles' makeup and try something to cover up those dark circles, before she turned into a raccoon. She slammed the utensil down as she stood up, reaching for her bag to sling it over her shoulder. She didn't need to add tardiness to her shit-list of the day, which had already started fifteen minutes after getting up.

"Wow, thanks for leaving me to fly by myself," Buttercup griped as she left the house. Trust her sisters to gang up on her and leave her behind. It was always her, wasn't it? Buttercup who was too mean, Buttercup who was messing up, Buttercup who had issues. Well, at least she wasn't a fraidy-cat or a Brainiac.

Of course, in school, being the latter may have really helped her out. She'd been having a tough time staying awake in class. Her first few periods were easy enough to stay distracted, considering they all involved actual schoolwork. When her fifth period came around, where they were reading a book together, Buttercup was doomed from the start. It was just so cool and comfortable inside the classroom, and her jacket (a beloved leather one with a green skull sewn on, a gift from Robin) made the best pillow. She would only rest her head down for a second. She just couldn't keep her eyes open for long, the words in her book had turned into amorphous black blobs. A quick break was all Buttercup needed. As she rested, though, she could feel a threatening pit opening inside her. Something was coming for her. She heard something, a distant voice. A raging green fire was coming towards her, looming around her as it began to overtake and consume her. She heard her name, as if something in the fire was calling out to her.  _Buttercup…Buttercup…_

"Buttercup!" Buttercup launched up with a gasp. A paper was stuck to her cheek, and she could feel she'd drooled a little.

"Wh—what's going on? What? I'm awake!" she exclaimed, only half coherent. To the side, she could see her teacher standing, tapping her foot. Cerise colored Buttercup's cheeks, and she ripped the paper away from her cheek. "I was just resting my eyes!"

The teacher rested a hand on her hip as she looked at Buttercup over the rim of her glasses. "I expect not to catch you sleeping in my class again, Miss Utonium. You should take more after your sister!"

"Yes, Mrs. Tarron," Buttercup muttered. She sank in her seat as her teacher walked back to the front of the classroom, with a handful of students peering curiously at Buttercup. With one glare, they all whirled back around in their seats. Buttercup didn't know which of her smart, wonderful sisters her teacher was talking about, and she didn't care.

She just didn't care.

* * *

After school, Buttercup stayed after classes as she had a meeting about volleyball practice. She loved sports, though coaches kept a mindful watch on her to ensure she wasn't cheating. Swimming and volleyball were her favorites; she'd love to join wrestling, but the coach thought it'd be too easy for her strength to get the better of her. As she trudged home, feeling too lazy to even bother flying, Buttercup returned home to Professor and Blossom looking at her with crossed arms.

Standing in the doorway, Buttercup cast a longing glance outside, wishing she could dart back out. "What'd I do this time?" she asked, kicking the door shut behind her.

"Why did I receive a call this afternoon that you're falling asleep in class?" Professor asked, utilizing his special "dad voice" that made Buttercup feel two inches tall.

Blinking owlishly, Buttercup dropped her bag to the floor. Those damn teachers had ratted on her? It was only a couple of times! "Once or twice!" Buttercup said, putting her hands on her hips. "It was only for a couple minutes, I swear!"

Professor sighed. "I know you've been having trouble," he said, and Buttercup caught Blossom arching a brow. Buttercup hadn't mentioned anything to either her or Bubbles, and she didn't intend to. "But that's no excuse to slack on your studies. I don't want to hear of this again, if you need to go to bed earlier, then—"

"BRRING! BRRING!"

All three of them froze and looked up, where they could hear the emergency phone ringing. Before any of them could move, they listened as Bubbles answered it, and moments later she came shooting down the stairs. "The Gangreen Gang is up to no good, they just robbed a convenience store of some candy!" she exclaimed, already halfway out the door. Blossom took off after her, but Buttercup lingered, looking at Professor.

He shook his head with a fond smile. "This conversation isn't over, but go on, the city needs you!" he told her, waving as the green puff flew out of the door. She would take any excuse to escape the awkward conversation.

Up in the air, Blossom cut her eyes towards Buttercup. "Having trouble?" she asked, repeating Professor's words.

Buttercup scowled and flew ahead of her sisters, muttering, "It's none of your business!"

As she outpaced the other two girls, Buttercup came upon the scene of greasy, wannabe criminals as they stood in an alley corner chomping on pilfered gumballs. Clenching her jaw, Buttercup dropped down, landing right in front of the boys. "Hey!" she shouted, making Snake choke on his candy. "What's the big idea, haven't you idiots learned a lesson?" She aimed her glare right at Ace, but he only smirked at her in response.

"What'sa matter, little Powerpuff? You lookin' a little rough aroun' the edges," Ace sneered, snapping his fingers in Buttercup's face. "You need a lil' nap, princess?"

Buttercup had had enough. She'd put up with so much shit the past couple of weeks, and Ace thought he was gonna smart off to her? "You wanna go?" she asked, getting close to his face.

Ace grinned, raising his cigarette to take a puff. He blew the smoke right in Buttercup's face. "You gonna throw a tantrum now, princess?" he asked. "Or you gonna let me go, 'cause you're still sweet on me? Do me a solid, Buttercup," he asked, raising his hand to her face. The gentle, warm touch battered Buttercup's senses, and she reacted before she thought. She swung her fist forward and it crushed the brick wall behind Ace, sending a crack all the way up the structure. Ace dodged, but it didn't matter to Buttercup. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and threw him to the side, sending him crashing several feet.

The rest of the boys scattered as Buttercup ripped the nearest sign out of the ground and swung it around, catching Snake and Grubber both in their sides and sending them toppling like broken dominoes. Surrounding her was the destruction of her anger; breaking bricks, groaning men, and a cracked car window that was now blaring an alarm. Right at that precise moment, Blossom and Bubbles chose to float up, their mouths agape at the display. Buttercup heaved, sweat dripping down her brow as she slowly relinquished her grip on the sign. Only then did she come off the high of her adrenaline, and looked around.

"What's wrong with you?" Blossom cried, floating overhead. She looked between Buttercup and the destruction, where Buttercup had thrown Ace. Buttercup just…she couldn't take listening to him anymore! He was running his mouth! Her anger had flown out of her control!

"I don't know!" Buttercup shouted back, her heart racing and her hands shaking.

_I don't know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when the Gangreen Gang were basically our first introduction to fuckboys?
> 
> Also it’s been ages since I watched PPG and my memory of certain things is spotty, I’m researching as as I go to avoid mistakes, but certain things might be changed around to bend canon for the story.
> 
> I’d like to thank those of you leaving reviews, it’s really sweet and made me grin all day. I didn’t think anyone was going to read this because for one, it’s incredibly old, and two, I wasn’t sure how active this fandom was anymore. I’m really happy to see people are into this story! Also there was a reviewer who stated "the real question is will they fuck though" and that's the question I ask myself every time I open a fic, too.


	5. Where's Your Hero Now?

Buttercup couldn't stay in that house any longer, the walls were closing in around her until she felt cramped and boxed in. Eager to escape, Buttercup darted through the kitchen, passing Bubbles along the way, who was in the kitchen working on an art project that looked particularly messy. Outside, the crisp autumn air nipped at Buttercup's nose. Today was a day for walking, not for flying. And, no, it wasn't because Buttercup worried she would pass out up in the air and take a fall down to the earth. If she thought her headaches were bad now, she should try cracking her head on the concrete; they'd all been there, and it was no field day. Today was just a nice day for taking a look around and appreciating the sights. It may be September, but Halloween decorations were already in several stores, filling the city with spooky cheer. And right now, Buttercup could use all the cheer she could get, creepy or not!

The cool air helped snap Buttercup into a more alert sense. She was doing well so far, (or rather, hanging on) though she wasn't sure she'd consider it winning, because she was still losing no matter what she did. But, as long as those damned nightmares weren't stuck in her head, who cared? She'd even picked up on how to be more discreet about her naps at school. What she'd learned was that in first period, her teacher was usually so involved with her maps and books that she didn't notice that a few morning-haters were asleep in her class. And, lunch was the perfect time for a longer nap, Buttercup could just eat a big dinner and no one would bat an eye. She was a growing girl, you know.

Well, if she didn't stop growing because of her shoddy sleep schedule.

She still looked a little like death thawed out, but no one had enough balls to say it to her face; especially not anyone in her family. Professor didn't want to hurt her feelings, and her sisters had seen the consequences the first time they'd tried. Both of them had been a touch hesitant to talk to her much since her blow-up at Ace and the rest of his stupid crew, but that suited her fine. Who needed them breathing down their neck all the time? Buttercup had snooped through Bubbles' makeup kit, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what half that gunk was even for. Bubbles looked so great naturally that she didn't even need the stuff, much less so much of it, what was the point? If you couldn't figure out how to put it on, what good was it gonna do?

The cool air began to nip at her skin, so Buttercup decided a detour through the mall was needed. Besides, she was excited to see the Halloween decorations, maybe pick out a thing or two to add to her extensive Halloween décor at home. It was her favorite holiday, and Professor always gave the girls free reign to decorate on the holidays. Okay, so sometimes they went overboard, but it was his fault! No one could resist the allure of one more paper bat, or one more gingerbread man. Now that they got an allowance and could buy a decoration each year themselves, the Utonium home went all out.

As Buttercup was heading through the front of the store, she passed a couple of her classmates loitering around Fun Fizz, a candy shop. Buttercup hummed to herself as she waved at them, before deciding that a candy stop was definitely in order. The sugar could help her stay awake! It was a foolproof plan. As she went inside, she smiled upon seeing that Robin was working today. Not many of Buttercup's friends worked through the school year, but there were a few who needed the cash or who were ultra into building their resumes. Robin fell into the latter category. Buttercup and her sisters had each held down a summer job over the last summer; Buttercup had worked with Mitch over at the video game and movie store. He was an ass most of the time, but he'd put in a good word for her, so Buttercup at least had a place to return to if she decided not to go to college with her sisters.

"Hey Robin," Buttercup greeted as she swung a couple bags of candy onto the counter. "How's the capitalism life treating you?"

Robin smiled at her friend as she began ringing up the candy. "Well, it provides for a college fund, but people sure do take their candy seriously!" she giggled, moving on autopilot as she bagged Buttercup's purchases. "Are you planning on hibernating on nothing but candy?" Robin asked, her eyes wide at the hefty bag. You could've knocked a grown man out with the thing.

Buttercup just shoved the whole thing into her backpack, all the while she was pulling out crumpled bills from her pocket. "Yeah, haven't ya heard? Hibernate now and miss the exams coming up!" It would be a brilliant plan, actually. Blossom was already studying and the finals weren't until November. Late November, at that.

"I'm sure Blossom would faint!" Robin shook her head, clanging the cash register drawer shut. "Well, I hope hibernation goes well, but I'll miss you in school. Enjoy your freedom for me!" Robin said, waving Buttercup out of the store. Sometimes Buttercup felt bad leaving her friend alone, but there were some serious rushes at Fun Fizz sometimes, and Robin wouldn't even have time to catch her breath, much less chat. Buttercup didn't care for crowds anyway, the only time she tolerated them were for concerts. And that one time she took Blossom to get some book signed by some obscure author only ultra-nerds knew of.

There were spider web decorations hanging around the giant fountain at the center of the mall, and Buttercup snorted at the sight. It was genius, but spider web decorations weren't allowed back at her house, not since the time Bubbles got caught in them and flailed around screaming for a good five minutes. That had been the highlight of Halloween that year—too bad Bubbles didn't think so. She always had to ruin things with her scaredy-cat needs.

Resolving to walk around for a while longer (it was hard to fall asleep while standing upright, you know) Buttercup headed up the escalator. God, those things were so slow, how did people stand waiting on them every single time? Well, they were better than elevators. Giant death boxes, if you asked Buttercup. It occurred to her that she was being ironic, but laziness always shone brighter than common sense.

There were splashes of black and orange everywhere upstairs, like someone had taken a bucket of Halloween and dumped it everywhere. Buttercup could see the kiosk employees dressed as witches and pirates, while bat decorations hung from the ceiling. And there were stuffed black cats and plastic pumpkins, and there was Blossom over by the Stacy's—

Wait a minute, Blossom? Blossom was supposed to be at home where Buttercup left her, studying, that was all she ever did!

Buttercup ducked behind one of the kiosks, epitomizing stealth as she peered over the top of perfume bottles to watch Blossom. She was standing there, covering her laughing mouth with her hand as she laughed at something that…who the hell was that? It was a girl Buttercup had never met before! That was impossible, Buttercup had met everyone that her sisters had, they'd lived in the city their whole lives! Was it a new girl that Blossom was showing around? Ugh, wasn't that just like her, taking some new sap under her wing?

"She's pretty," Buttercup muttered, watching as the girl reached out and brushed a strand of Blossom's hair back. The girl was close in age to them, her dark skin and soft honey eyes both had a warm glow. She was wearing a couple of barrettes in her short curls, both pink. Buttercup watched the physical display with a slack jaw, Blossom was usually so uptight about who touched her; only her sisters, Professor, and Robin had free reign for that. That totally eradicated Buttercup's theory on the girl being new in town, no way would Blossom let a stranger put their hands on her. "Who on earth are you?" Buttercup grumbled, leaning forward as if she might listen in on the conversation her sister was sharing with the strange girl.

Right then, the girl happened to turn in Buttercup's direction. The green puff bent down on her knees to crouch behind the kiosk, hiding behind it and covering her mouth to keep from gasping. She might not know the girl, but certainly she'd recognize Buttercup. Blossom would chew her out for days on end if she thought Buttercup was messing around with her "private affairs" as she called them. She spent several seconds kneeling behind the kiosk, with the employee politely pretending she wasn't noticing anything. By the time Buttercup risked a peek, both her sister and the girl were gone. Buttercup muttered a few choice words under her breath as she straightened up, tired bones creaking with protest.

She could try and hunt them down, but what was she going to do then? Approach them and pretend like she just happened to run into them? Blossom would throw a fit once they got home. It was probably just a new friend or someone from a college Blossom was applying to. Something boring like that, Buttercup didn't care.

Except she did, and damn was it going to bother her until she figured it out.

Buttercup at least had something new to think about instead of mindless counting to keep herself distracted enough to stay awake. She spent a couple more hours wandering around the mall, during which she bought herself new volleyball shorts and a cute witch doll that (hopefully) wasn't too creepy for Bubbles and they could keep it in the kitchen. It was at that point Buttercup admitted to herself she needed to get home before she emptied her wallet. That'd be a whole 'nother lecture to add to her growing collection.

Back at home, Buttercup found the rest of her family in the kitchen working on dinner. The messy artwork that had been there just a few hours before had vanished without a trace. That never failed to make Buttercup do a doubletake, but she knew Professor would forbid any projects in the open if they didn't clean it up after. Maybe that was where Blossom got her nitpickiness from. "We aren't eating paint for dinner?" Buttercup asked, to which Bubbles flicked a bit of water at her from where she was at the sink washing vegetables.

"Would you like to? It would add some  _color_  to your diet!" Bubbles grinned. Professor laughed, but Buttercup and Blossom both groaned.

"Come on, Buttercup. You can help cut the vegetables after they're washed," Professor said from his spot at the stove, where he was boiling pasta. Buttercup hadn't stayed out late enough to avoid responsibility it looked like, and with a sigh, she dropped her bag and resigned herself to her fate. "So, girls, are you feeling prepared for the upcoming exams in a few weeks?" Professor asked, and Buttercup popped a piece of tomato into her mouth to hide a suffering sigh. They had ages until the testing, still!

"I'm more excited about the winter dance!" Bubbles cut in, saving Buttercup from admitting she'd yet to start studying. She had Bubbles' notes all spread out on her desk, but the most she'd done was sit and stare at them without absorbing a single word. Who knew that lack of sleep made you forget how to read? That was, like, one of the first things Buttercup had ever learned how to do, she'd thought it'd be like riding a bike by now. "I'm going with a group of friends, we're gonna do our hair and makeup together!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes at the thought of a bunch of giggly girls getting together to slap paint onto their faces. She didn't have any plans to go to the dance, she was gonna hang out with Mitch and the other guys for a video game night, like they did the past couple of years.

"What about you, Blossom? Did you find a cute boy to take you to the dance?" Bubbles smiled, looking at the eldest Powerpuff.

Blossom froze for a moment where she was rolling meatballs for the spaghetti.

Buttercup scoffed, "Cute? He has to be smart for her to look at him!"

Blossom huffed out a short laugh, waving her hand. "Actually, I…I'm staying home to study. AP exams are tough, I want to be as ready as I can!" she said, not looking up at any of them.

"Of course you're staying home, you love books and numbers more than any guy," Buttercup muttered. The redhead had countless boys at school offering her their admiration, Blossom was missing the times of her life! And for what, so she could spend a few years doing the same stuff she was doing now, only for a price? Buttercup wasn't sure why it disgusted her so much, but it did. Blossom could afford to have fun and do whatever she wanted, she was so smart she could probably get away with not studying at all and still get a pass on her exams. Meanwhile Buttercup was gonna have to use stupid toothpicks under her eyelids to hold them open. Maybe even tattoo notes on her wrist while she was at it. Or, no, on her ankle! She could hide it under her jeans and peek, all she had to do was drop her pencil, bend down, and bam. Passing grades all around.

"Why does it matter how much I like boys?" Blossom remarked a little sharply, prompting both Professor and Bubbles to raise their eyebrows. Buttercup made a face at Blossom, clearly their spat, which had spanned a new record now, was withstanding the test of time. Buttercup couldn't even remember when it had started, now that she thought about it…days were blending into weeks to her, a muddled smudge on her inner calendar.

"It doesn't, because I doubt they'd stick around once you started trying to make them be all perfect like you!" Buttercup jabbed.

Before Blossom could retort, Professor stepped in, raising both hands in a gesture of "take it easy" to his girls. "All right, that's enough. Let's focus on dinner before someone gets meatball in their hair!" he smiled. Bubbles giggled, and Blossom's expression relaxed as she took a deep breath. Buttercup still felt her nerves prickling with annoyance, though. Why couldn't someone take her side for once? Blossom was the one getting defensive!

No one was ever on  _Buttercup's_ side.

* * *

Later that night saw Buttercup back at her desk. She'd been rereading what she had written in her journal, hoping it might jumpstart her memory a little, but tough luck. She remembered only as much as she'd written. She did write a bit more about this odd, invasive green fire that she had almost,  _almost,_  dreamt about during class today. It was a close call, she'd barely closed her eyes when the warping emerald flames had come flashing behind her eyes to wrap around her. Was that even a part of the dream, or had it been her daydreaming? Green was her favorite color, after all. Was it a warning to wake up before the dream began?

"Wait a minute," she murmured to herself, slowing the tapping of her pen. Green was the only color she could remember seeing in her dreams. Was that another clue? Everything had been in grey or a deep, abysmal black that she couldn't see past. That green was the only color Buttercup could remember, and it was vibrant and jarring. The grip on the pen tightened, threatening to snap the fragile plastic. Buttercup felt like she was just going in circles! She'd thought that being restrained and locked away was the theme of her nightmare, the thing she had to work past, but the one where she'd almost drowned had proven her wrong. The nightmare could happen anywhere, anytime, and it was starting to build worlds of its own.

Buttercup dropped her forehead down to her desk with a dull "clack" and sighed. Her eyes felt gross and dry, and she couldn't find it in herself to pry them open again. She was sinking fast into the inviting oblivion with all the abandon of a ship slipping beneath the roiling waves of the ocean. The water was cold and dangerous, but it felt good to finally give in after a long battle. It was so easy to stop moving, to rest, even when something freezing was filling your chest.

Too bad there was only one outcome of giving in, and that was  _losing._

* * *

_Buttercup's heaving for breath, her legs pounding against the ground underneath her. She's running, running for all she's worth, and she can't look back to see what it is she's running from. She only has to get away, she has to escape. Suddenly the air around her starts to crackle with an electric energy and the hair on her arms stands up. Time seems to freeze just as Buttercup does when, from overhead, a blinding flash of green illuminates the entire world. Buttercup screams, but the sound of her voice gets drowned out by the deafening "CRACK!" of the green bolt of energy colliding with the earth. Buttercup skids to a halt and almost falls backwards as dust kicks up beneath her feet._

" _You can't run from me," that voice calls out to her, arrogance making his words sharp. They cut into her ears. "You can't escape from me no matter how hard you try. There's no hiding, Buttercup! I'll always get to you!" he shouts, until his voice is filling Buttercup's head and she can no longer even hear the sound of her own heart racing. From out of the smoke and debris, he rockets towards her, and his fist lands squarely against Buttercup's jaw._

_She collapses backwards, the metallic taste of blood is in her mouth, it's on her tongue. She can see rips and stains on her clothes, and her body aches with exertion. She's losing, she can't handle him on her own! "Where are my sisters?" she snarls, for even if her body is beaten down, at least one part of her has to stay strong and in her control._

_He laughs, his voice booming. "You think you can save 'em? You can't even save yourself!" he sneers, looming above Buttercup. She tries to skitter backwards, but he stomps his foot down on her ankle to keep her still. There's a disgusting "snap" as Buttercup's ankle breaks, and she's screaming again, oh is she screaming. It scrapes against her throat as raw as the pain shooting up her leg. "You're too late, Buttercup. They've already fallen, just like you're about to," he grins, ignoring Buttercup's sob._

" _You're lying!" she shrieks, looking up at him with glistening eyes. "You're lying!" Maybe if she repeats it, it will somehow make it truer. He reels back with a cackle, as if Buttercup is a comedic genius instead of a broken heap on the ground. "They're too strong for you!"_

" _Oh yeah?" he asks, leaning down closer to her. He grabs her jaw in his bruising hands, and Buttercup finds herself facing that green again. It twists its way inside her, pouring into her chest until there’s nothing inside her but green flames. Her stomach turns itself inside out as tears stream down her cheeks and over his cold fingers. She raises both her hands to claw at his arm and chest, trying to pry him away from her, but he doesn't react to her at all. Come on, Buttercup, get it together! You're stronger than this! You're better than this!_

" _They're on their way out, Buttercup. Just like you are. One by one, and the weak little Powerpuffs are gone for good!"_

_She shivers violently at the manic smile on his face, and he shoves his hand to the side, pushing Buttercup back to the dusty ground. His foot plants itself in Buttercup's side then, kicking her over and prompting her to hack as the air gets knocked out of her. She lie there wheezing, pain lighting her up from the inside out, and it has nothing to do with what he's doing to her. He has to be wrong, her sisters were too strong, they were the most powerful heroes in the country! No one could take them down! "You're wrong!" she says, her teeth grit against the blood that's pooled in her mouth. When he leans close, she whirls around and spits it at him._

_It lands against his arm and chest, and instead of recoiling, he looks down at it with that smile, those green eyes burning. It's going to burn Buttercup alive—she can feel it, she can feel it reaching for her, ready to swallow her whole. She wraps an arm around her torso, though inside her chest is the part of her that aches the most. She can't look up at him as he stands above her._

" _You couldn't save them, Buttercup. You failed," he tells her. Shaking, she raises her head to look up at him, her eyes cold as she sets her trembling lips in a snarl. "I'll take care of you first, though, don't worry."_

_She watches him raise his fist, and as he swings it forward, she allows her eyes to shut. She couldn't save her sisters. She deserves this. She isn't good enough. It's all her fault._

_Her sisters are gone, and now she's going to die, too._

_Just make it fast._

* * *

"No!" Buttercup cried out, her voice hoarse and cracking as she bolted up. The chair she was sitting on tipped backwards as she shoved away from her desk, stumbling over her own feet as she whipped her head around, looking for what wasn't there. "Wh—what?"

She was in her bedroom, her safe, comfortable bedroom. Nothing was out of place, but the lamp on her desk had gone out. Buttercup's chest still ached and she brought her hand close to rest it over her heart, where she could feel it pounding beneath her palm. She wasn't sure what time it was or how long she'd been out.

Hurrying for her door, Buttercup tried to quiet her frantic breathing as she tiptoed outside into the hallway. Bubbles' door was the closest, and Buttercup opened it slowly, pausing just before she knew it would creak. Bubbles was a heavy sleeper, but Buttercup didn't want to risk it. Holding her breath, Buttercup peered around the edge of the door and towards Bubbles' bed.

She was right there. Her comforter was shoved to the side in favor of the sheets, and Octi was clutched tight in her hands, standing guard. Exhaling a sigh of relief, Buttercup smiled as she clicked the door shut.

A little farther down was Blossom's door. That one didn't creak, but Blossom was a light sleeper, and Buttercup had to open the door an inch at a time until she could see her sister's canopy bed. Blossom was fast asleep, turned towards Buttercup and the door. She was safe, just dreaming in her own bed. Both of Buttercup's sisters were safe and sound. It had just been in her head.

Shaking with adrenaline and relief, Buttercup closed Blossom's door and returned to her room, rushing before the lump in her throat could come out as a sob. Only once she was safe behind her own door did Buttercup allow the sob to launch past her lips, along with a stream of tears to spill from her tightly shut eyes. She sank to the floor, her entire body wracked with her fierce sobs. What was wrong with her? What the fuck was with these vivid, awful dreams? Buttercup had never come close to losing her sisters. Sure, they'd all gotten hurt, they'd all had scares, but never like that. The only ones who had ever come close to ending the Powerpuff Girls had been… But they were gone. They weren't around anymore, she and her sisters had gotten rid of them and they weren't coming back.

But, who had been in her dream? Buttercup wasn't so afraid of anyone, she didn't believe anyone was around who could take her down. Not all three of them. "I don't even know who you are," Buttercup whispered, her hands shaking as she brought them to her face. She couldn't do this anymore. She would start drinking coffee like Professor, she would start pacing her room when she got too tired. Buttercup couldn't take this anymore. That green fire was getting closer, and she was finding herself unable to escape it. "Sleep is for the weak," Buttercup said to herself, clutching her head in her hands.

She was beginning to wonder if that was exactly what she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reviews I've been getting are so sweet and important to me, thank you so much for those who've left kind words!


	6. Bare Your Teeth

"Buttercup, are you even listening to me?"

Buttercup jerked her head up from where she'd let it duck down against her chest, her green eyes flying wide open as she stared at Bubbles. For the life of her, Buttercup couldn't remember what the blonde had just said. And from the look of it, Bubbles was well aware of it. "Yeah…yeah, totally! You were talking about, uh, the art show at school!"

Bubbles blew her cheeks out in a pout. "That's a lucky guess! You were falling asleep! Gosh, Buttercup, you have to stop staying up so late! You look ready to pass out half the time!" Bubbles tossed her hair over her shoulder, where she was wearing it down for once instead of in her trademark pigtails. "Why're you so tired lately, anyway? Are you staying up all night playing video games again? Professor won't be happy!"

Buttercup groaned out an exaggerated whine. "So, don't tell him! Don't be such a tattletale, I thought you outgrew that!" Buttercup folded her arms as she regarded Bubbles coolly.

Offended, Bubbles pointed a finger at her sister. "I'm only trying to help, you're gonna get in trouble if you fall asleep in class again! You already take my notes, I can't carry you through junior year, too!" Bubbles snapped, flouncing out of the room once she'd finished her lecture, which Buttercup had most definitely not asked for.

Things had gotten tense around the house for a couple months now, ever since the…the "Bullshit" as Buttercup dubbed it, started. She'd taken flash naps that were just enough to keep her above the water, but said water was becoming more and more tempting. It was warm and comforting, and above all, sinking meant she no longer had to tread the water. But, she knew that once she was in, the water would no longer be warm and gentle. It would be freezing, bottomless. She missed sleep, she missed her bed, she missed not having to pry her gritty eyes open, and she deeply missed not feeling like she was operating on robotic mode. It was like her limbs were heavy and awkward and she had to focus to get them to do anything right! If she was a robot, she was made by the dumbest scientist ever.

While she wasn't robotic, she wasn't all human, maybe that part of her was what was saving her from passing out cold, though she certainly wanted to. It had been long enough with cat naps and straining to survive on energy drinks, any normal person would probably be a zombie. Maybe by now the nightmares had passed (she was sure that after at least a month of her avoiding real sleep, they had to have) but the idea of falling asleep and sinking into another horror she couldn't wake up from? Buttercup just couldn't bring herself to do it. She kept imagining the terror that gripped her and—

Jeez, now her heart was racing. That always happened whenever she thought back to the dreams, it was like sounding an alarm. She was safe when she was awake, she was safe! Why did her body have to react that way? Nothing could get to her when she was awake, that was the whole point of staying up, not so the dream could chase her around.

Rubbing her hands down her face, Buttercup slapped her palms against her cheeks a couple times. "You can take down a monster the size of a skyscraper, you can win against a stupid dream!" she snapped at herself. Bubbles was overreacting, Buttercup was doing fine! She could stay awake in class no problem, who needed Bubbles' whining? So what if Buttercup was a little sleepy sometimes, it wasn't like she was hurting anybody. Well…herself, maybe, but she'd be hurting a lot worse if she wasn't staying up! This was a war now, and Buttercup planned to win it.

Ducking her head against her arms, Buttercup blew out a sigh. She was only resting her eyes, it'd be for a minute, that was it…

"Buttercup!" Blossom's voice broke into Buttercup's peaceful rest, like she ruined so many other things. The sudden noise made Buttercup start (she was awake, really!) and she jolted upright, whipping her head up to see what  _this_  sister wanted. Her heart was racing out of nowhere, but Buttercup chalked it up to annoyance.

Peeking into the room, Blossom's brow was furrowed. "Buttercup, have you been down past the school today?" she asked, cocking her head.

"What? Why?" Buttercup asked, straightening up and cracking her back. "I haven't gone out today. Why, is there some nerdy meet-up going on?" Buttercup figured that was the only reason Blossom would have any interest.

Blossom stepped into the room, folding her arms. "No," she murmured, her eyes narrowed as if she were thinking hard. "I saw on the news that there was some sort of block that was stopping traffic, but they didn't elaborate. I was only curious if you might know what caused it, they didn't say it was a pile-up, only that some delay was going on downtown." Blossom brought her hand to her mouth, where she bit at her knuckles. "I'm thinking we should check it out, but if it's only traffic…"

Buttercup shrugged. "We haven't gotten a call yet," she pointed out. "Maybe it's people trying to get out before winter hits and all the snow gets here." Although, it was only the middle of October, wasn't it a little early? "I haven't heard any police sirens, it can't be that bad, right?"

"I don't know," Blossom mused, glancing towards her younger sister. Buttercup was always the first to leap into action at any prospect of danger, now she hardly seemed like she wanted to get up. "Buttercup, are you—"

Before Blossom could finish whatever was about to come out of her mouth, something Buttercup bet she wasn't keen on hearing, their emergency phone rang. So much for not getting a call. Buttercup stood up so fast that she kicked her chair back, she and Blossom both winced at the loud clanging. They shared a brief look with each other before Blossom decided it was up to her, levitating and propelling herself forward and up the stairs to grab the phone.

Bubbles rushed in right as Blossom vanished, looking to Buttercup for answers, but the green puff only shrugged. "Blossom tell you about the crap going on downtown? Apparently, something's stopping traffic."

"Robin posted about how she couldn't get to work! I thought it was just rush hour, but… I mean, we would have heard a monster if it's big enough to stop cars!"

Buttercup was about to point out that plenty of baddies had caught them by surprise, but before she could make her point, Blossom came floating down the stairs, much slower than when she'd gone up. Her expression was grave, and her skin had gone ashen. Perturbed, Buttercup unfolded her arms and approached Blossom. "What? What's wrong? Is it Mojo?" Buttercup asked, narrowing her eyes. It took a lot to shake Blossom, all three of them had seen countless accounts of horrors and destruction.

"I don't think so, Mayor said there's a reptilian creature, but…" Blossom trailed off, shaking her head like something wasn't right.

"But what?" Bubbles pressed.

"The destruction was present before the monster arrived. I don't believe the beast is what caused it, maybe it was attracted by it, but…we need to take care of it. Let's go girls," Blossom turned on her heel to lead the trio out, but Buttercup couldn't help feeling like Blossom had something else on her mind that she hadn't shared. But, the other two were already on their out, and Buttercup had to catch up instead of delving for answers.

"How do you know this thing didn't cause all the mess?" Buttercup shouted over the wind, once they were already high in the sky. Blossom spat her hair out of her face (she hadn't had time to pin it up) to glance back at Buttercup.

"Ms. Bellum told me there were calls coming in before the monster, but no sightings of what caused it. It's like the destruction was just there this morning, as if overnight something wreaked havoc and vanished before anyone woke up," she explained, her brows knitted together. "I don't understand it, but we need to get to the bottom of it."

"Well, we better get to it fast. There's the lizard," Buttercup grumbled, shooting up ahead of Blossom to point to the monster. It was far from impressive, only the size of a school bus, and it looked more confused than angry. That didn't make it any less dangerous when it was stomping around where it didn't belong. Monsters had never quite learned the meaning of invitations.

"Buttercup, watch its teeth!" Blossom called out as the green puff dropped several feet down, heading for the monster's face. Buttercup extended her leg to land a good kick on the reptilian snout, garnering a bestial shout. The thing's teeth were sharp and almost didn't fit in its mouth, they reminded Buttercup of pikes.

Bubbles rounded around the monster and delivered a swift punch to the back of its head, making it double over. "Take that! You should know it isn't nice to go around ruining cities!" the blonde chided, hovering above Buttercup and the beast.

"You think this thing has a sense of moral, Bubs?" Buttercup asked, her green eyes rolling almost to the back of her head. "You can't rehabilitate monsters—stick to doing it with people!"

"It doesn't hurt to try!" Bubbles sniffed, only to yelp and yank her legs out of the way as the beast reared its head back to chomp at the floating Powerpuffs. A flash of pink rocketed past them as Blossom took to the ground, landing and shutting her eyes tight. When she popped them open, a searing gleam of red cut through the air, singing the reptiles flesh and distracting him from Bubbles and Buttercup.

"Go!" Blossom ordered, urging Buttercup into action. Shaking her head, Buttercup snapped into focus.

"Do you want it dead?" she called back, trying to gauge how much strength she needed to use.

Blossom took a moment to answer before she called back, regret in her voice. "I see no other option, I don't know where it came from! We can't rehome it, it's too aggressive!"

That was all Buttercup needed. Lunging forward, Buttercup drove herself into the monster's gut to shove it backwards and expose its belly. Claws as sharp as razors (and as big as a table, making them a  _little_  more dangerous) pawed at the air, trying to claw Buttercup to ribbons. She heard Bubbles shriek in alarm, but Buttercup was too busy trying to get the thing pinned to the ground to pay attention. The sudden and jarring motions were making her head swim, like her brain was loose and rocking around her skull. She found it too hard to focus on too many things at once, she could only hope for the best in driving all her attention into pinning the monster. Her stomach was dipping and turning inside out, and her muscles felt noodle-y when she tried to put all her force behind them. Her body was working against her here, but she had a job to do and she was damn well going to finish it—and god, would Bubbles stop her screaming? Buttercup was trying to focus!

"Buttercup, watch out!" Blossom's scream broke in through Buttercup's weary haze, and she turned around to shout that she had it under control. That was when she saw the monster's clawed paw coming down on top of her. It covered Buttercup's entire body before she could move, like a gigantic, scaly blanket. She slammed her eyes shut, as if to somehow ignore the oncoming danger, but it did nothing to keep the serrated claws from slicing into her side and batting her right out of the air. Pain bloomed in Buttercup's side and below her chest, and she could hear screaming, but at that point she couldn't tell if it was her own or her sisters'.

The ground was hard. Buttercup could only think about that when she landed, the asphalt crumbling beneath her from the force and leaving her feeling like she'd just crushed her guts out. When Buttercup coughed, it felt wet. Well, she was breathing, if choked wheezing counted, so she must still have some guts left inside. She tried to open her eyes; to check on her sisters, to make sure the monster wasn't about to come down on her, something, but her vision was swimming. She saw nothing but swirling blobs of color as her head lolled to the side. Her arms fell from where she'd had them wrapped tightly around her abdomen, trying to stem the pain and bleeding. Buttercup was sinking, she could feel it, she could recognize it. The surface was swallowing her whole, and the pain that bled from her flesh all the way down into her bones began to thrum inside her.

"Shit, dying sucks."

* * *

_Run, you gotta run! Why are you so slow!_

_Buttercup's arms pump at her sides, her breath ripping out of her chest in frantic panting. She obviously can't hide, not with how loud she's breathing, anything within a mile would hear her. Her steps are clumsy and uncoordinated as she crunches leaves beneath her boots, the autumn air billowing out in a cloud as she exhales. It's starting to hurt her throat, as if the air cuts into it with each inhale—breathing is supposed to help, how can it hurt so much?_

_She has to go faster, it's gaining up on her. She can't see it, but she can feel something coming, and it's something dangerous. She stumbles over her panic and has to catch herself on the ground, slitting her palm open on a rock. Her blood is a striking red against the grey earth, like spilled rubies on a bed of silver. The splash of color is disorienting. Swearing, Buttercup rights herself and lunges forward again, gracelessly gaining her bearings. She can't hear anything around her aside from her own frenetic breathing and the sound of her feet pounding the forest floor._

_She thinks she's in a forest, anyway. The sunlight above her is spotty, filtering in through leaves, but the tree trunks only seem to appear right in front of her seconds before she hits them, forcing her to trip to the side to dodge them. She looks over her shoulder to make sure it isn't following her—what exactly "it" is, she isn't sure. She only knows that she has to stay ahead of it, she has to outrun it. She's an athlete, she can outrun anyone in the city, no one in the world is a match for Buttercup. No one, no one! She can't let it win, anything else winning means that she's losing and she…she can't._

_She doesn't understand why the consequences of losing are so dire, but suddenly, nothing has ever felt more important to her. She looks forward again, and the forest gives way to a blinding light as she breaks out of the trees, causing her to cry out in shock. The foliage and shadows melt away as she stumbles out of the grasp of whatever was hunting her in the forest. She can feel the claws still grazing her flesh, threatening to sink into her. She'd only gotten away by the skin of her teeth!_

_Smiling, Buttercup glances over her shoulder once again to watch the fuzzy trees fade away. Only, instead of the victory she expects to feel, Buttercup feels her heart beginning to race faster, if it pounds any harder against her chest, her ribs might break. A sob churns in Buttercup's chest and almost chokes her as she tries to hold it back. Suddenly, Buttercup isn't sure anymore—of anything. Is she running from something, or towards something? Buttercup starts to turn back around to face where she's running, but now she wonders. Is it a something…or a someone?_

_That's when it happens. As if the world heard her questions and decides to supply her an answer she doesn't want. Buttercup faces forward and a scream jumps into her throat when she sees him. He's right in front of her, as if he transpired out of thin air like the trees had. Only, unlike with the trees, Buttercup can't dodge him. She doesn't have the time, she can't get her body to move. Almost as if it's a set path, she's trapped in motion as she crashes forward into his waiting grasp. It's like a lion waiting for a deer to get close enough, isn't it?_

_She shrieks something feral when he wraps his arms around her, vice-like and powerful even as she claws at them. Her fighting would put a wild animal caught in a trap to shame. Her heart was close to bursting now, a ticking time-bomb inside her chest. She'd been running away, but oh, she'd been running in the wrong direction. The arms locked around her tighten, crushing the air out of her and caging her arms against his chest. Repulsion writhes in Buttercup's gut like a snake. "Let go!" she cries, her eyes slammed shut. She can't face him, not again. She can't look into that green that seems to see right through her and knows what's inside of her. Buttercup can't let anyone in, she won't let him in!_

" _What are you running from?" he asks, cold humor infringing on his voice. She almost tells him, she almost shouts it at him. It's him, it's been him for weeks, but no matter how fast she runs, how far, somehow, he's a step ahead of her. It's just like when…when…_

_Buttercup rears her head back with a vicious cry, twisting in his grasp, and she doesn't care how his hands bruise or scratch her. Like shackles, the mores she struggles, the more strength they seem to have, but she doesn't care; shackles always wear down. Shackles rust and rot, and she won't. Her teeth snap and her nails claw, a desperate animal. The more she fights and the fiercer she becomes, the louder he seems to laugh. It echoes all around her, as if his voice is spreading instead of right in front of her._

" _This is pathetic, I thought you would be more of a challenge. I expected more from you, Buttercup," he tells her, his teeth too sharp._

" _Don't say my name!" she screams. The sound of her name on his lips is wrong, but for reasons she can't grasp. It hits her ears and feels like it's digging inside her brain, it doesn't sound right._

_The arms surrounding her body tighten, crushing, until her bones seem to break and her lungs crumble with them. Buttercup tries to scream, but all that comes out is a cracked heave of breath. She is strong, the strongest, she has always been the one who lifted her sisters and held the city on her shoulders. Buttercup can shatter the ground and topple buildings. She is small, but with her strength she has always been big, larger than life. Now, though, in his presence, she feels tiny. More than that, she feels breakable, and with his arms compressing her, trapping her, Buttercup understands why trapped animals scream. She knows she'll never look at even a humane trap again without her heart sinking through the floor. Buttercup can no longer even squirm, her struggles have ceased and she's falling still, unable to get her lungs to expand for breath. She can't get away, she can't break free!_

" _There's no escape."_

_She can't breathe._

* * *

She couldn't breathe.

Something was wrapped around her, constricting her, just like too-strong arms had. When she tried to sit up, pain burst through her chest and she cried out, her hoarse voice breaking a bit. She had to get away, she could still move, so she could still fight! She had to, if he got his hands on her again he was going to kill her. She knew it. Buttercup began digging her fingers into the bindings restricting her, clawing at them and flailing as she attempted to sit up, but she only felt like she was getting even more tangled. Each breath she took in burned, forcing her to take in shallower breaths, and she felt like she couldn't get enough. She wasn't getting enough, she couldn't breathe, she was—

"Buttercup!" That sharp, firm voice broke through the panicked haze that had shrouded Buttercup's thought process, having slowed it almost to a halt. All she wanted was to be free. Cool hands wrapped around her wrists, powerful but careful, pulling them away from where she was clawing and fighting. Buttercup's eyes flew wide as she looked up, the curtain of red hair that spilled into her vision drew a shuddering sigh of relief from her chest. Boneless, the green puff flopped back onto the bed, almost dragging Blossom with her had the older girl not let go in time. Instead, Blossom dropped down to sit on the mattress, and Buttercup noticed she was breathing a little hard.

"Wh'happened?" Buttercup slurred, still feeling out of it, and she suspected Professor had dosed her with painkillers. Her memory was fuzzy and distant, and she could only just make out where she'd been that had landed her here in her bed, feeling like she'd fought a deity and lost.

Blossom stared down at her sister hard, her eyes unblinking and her jaw working in that way that meant she was grinding her teeth. She was thinking, Buttercup realized, thinking about what? How much to tell her? How to tell her she was banned from the Powerpuffs until she got her shit together? That thought made Buttercup ball her fists up. "I'm fine, Bloss. It was just a hit, we've all taken 'em, okay? I don't need some grand lecture." Not when Blossom didn't even know what she was lecturing about.

Blossom cut her eyes to the side, caught. "I'm only worried," she said coolly, but her voice was quiet. "You're the toughest of us, Buttercup, but you've been making reckless mistakes, taking hits you shouldn't and losing your temper. You're better than—"

"I said I'm fine, all right?" Buttercup snapped, cutting her sister off. Blossom looked at her, and Buttercup had to watch that wounded look crumble Blossom's face, and she had to live with it. She'd been doing a lot of that lately, hurting her sisters. She couldn't do anything right, anymore. "I'm just stressed, I'm allowed to have off days too, aren't I?"

Blossom swallowed, and Buttercup got the feeling she'd just swallowed a lot of what she wanted to say. Must be hard to choke down that pill, Buttercup was sure she was due for a shouting match again, a scolding the size of Townsville, and…

"You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?"

And…what? Buttercup reeled back, sucking in a breath too fast and too deep. A throb started in her chest, and she was afraid to glance at her bandages in case blood had seeped through due to her frantic struggling. She healed fast, but she was no miracle worker. Unsteady, she met Blossom's gaze, which  _was_  steady. Steady and worried and frustrated, and it was all Buttercup's fault, and everything that was inside her wanted to spill out right then and there. It wanted to bleed out of her wounds, drip from her eyes, and scream from her mouth. And what did she do instead? She shut her eyes and grit her teeth.

"It's nothing, Blossom. I'll be fine. Promise," Buttercup said, holding the word like it was glass. She could see it shattering behind her eyelids. But, it was all she could do. What would Blossom think, hearing about those dreams? She'd send Buttercup to a hospital, a shrink! She'd tell Buttercup to get over it, hell, she'd probably give her a dumb list of sleeping tips and some fancy article all about "Coping with Your Dreams" by an esteemed doctor Buttercup had never heard of. No. She could do this on her own, she had to. She'd get to the bottom of the dreams and she'd beat them.

Blossom wilted a little, blowing out a tired sigh. "Okay, okay," she relented, getting off Buttercup's bed. "Get some rest, okay? It'll take a few days for those wounds to heal. On the upside, you can get plenty of studying in!" Blossom smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. This felt scripted, like it was just what they were supposed to say to each other. Feeling rebellious, Buttercup ignored her line and simply raised her hand to her head to salute Blossom as she took her leave. Only once Buttercup was alone did she relax, melting into her mattress and exhaling the scream still burning in her lungs. Her lungs that weren't crushed. Looking down, Buttercup rested a hand over her heart, counting every beat that thudded beneath her palm. Her chest wasn't bruised at all.

Of course it wasn't, what was she thinking? Those dreams weren't real. They were vivid, but they weren't real.

Then why did she remember the pain so vividly? Why did she think she was going to die every time she woke up inside one of those nightmares? Why was so she fucking terrified of someone she couldn't picture?

"Why can't I remember?"

* * *

"Buttercup! I'm so glad to see you up and moving!" Bubbles cheered, throwing her arms around her sister in as careful a hug as she could manage. Buttercup grumbled back, her hoodie pulled over her messy hair. "And still grumpy, too!" Bubbles giggled, "oh, you've missed so much at school, I can't wait to catch you up!"

"Bubs, it's been three days," Buttercup dryly reminded her. It'd been five since the incident, which Buttercup could only thank the gods for had happened during the weekend. She'd enjoyed not worrying about keeping her stupid eyes open during class, but when you had nothing to do but lie around, it was surprisingly hard to keep yourself awake. If there were pills to knock you out flat, why weren't there pills that woke you up? Buttercup was thinking about bringing the issue up to Professor. She could patent it, put herself through college. Or, maybe buy a really cool sportscar.

Until then, Buttercup had discovered a new vice in caffeine. It'd started a couple nights ago, when she stumbled into the kitchen and found the coffee pot still half-full. It was lukewarm, but it was palatable. Mostly. If anyone asked, she definitely hadn't gagged on it. She headed right for the coffee pot, passing breakfast up to pour herself a mug and dump in a few (too many) spoonfuls of sugar, which Buttercup had learned made the warm mud taste better.

"Uh, Buttercup," Bubbles started, watching with a cringe as Buttercup threw back her mug and downed every ounce of coffee she'd poured into it. "You're supposed to pace that out, are you crazy?! You're gonna crash before third period!"

"I'll just get more," Buttercup shrugged, her solution absolutely genius.

"That's not good for you! Since when do you even like coffee?" the blonde chastised as she gathered her bag, along with that vibrant art project that had been taking up the kitchen for the past…who knew how long? Certainly not Buttercup, who could hardly tell today's date.

"What? We're practically adults now! It's a rite of passage," Buttercup could hear the pep in her voice and almost shuddered. She'd already had a couple cups through the night as it was, While Bubbles was right, and the crashes hit like a speeding train, all it took was a little more of the good stuff, and she was wide awake! It was like she wasn't missing days of sleep at all…mostly. The plan was foolproof, see those fucking dreams get to her when she never slept.

Bubbles paused for a long, judgmental moment, before she shook her head and held her project close to her chest. "Fine, but when your heart stops in gym, don't expect me to give you CPR!" she said, shouting the last part over her shoulder as she floated out of the room.

"You don't even have gym with me!" Buttercup shouted back. As she got her stuff together, Buttercup noticed her hands shook a little. She chalked it up to the mass caffeine, it'd wear off in a little while, and it was a teeny-tiny price to pay for not falling asleep and waking up trapped inside another nightmare. That was another note Buttercup had written inside her dream journal, which had become a close companion. In most normal nightmares, Buttercup woke up at the height of her panic, when she began to fight inside the dream, and, most importantly, whenever she'd gotten hurt.

She couldn't recall feeling real pain in a dream before, she always woke up when she would've gotten hurt…her nightmares, though? They seemed to center around pain, around panic, and it wouldn't let her go until it was good and ready. It was like the dream was controlling her brain and not the other way around. It didn't make any god damn sense, nothing Buttercup had read about online matched up with her dreams, and she'd actually put in some work researching it. There were no traumatic events she was remembering, no current trauma she was trying to cope with, nothing! Sure, she was a little stressed, but stress didn't cause violent, terrifying nightmares. Plus, a huge chunk of her stress was now because of the nightmares themselves.

A lot of things lately weren't making sense.

"And they'd better start, if I fail those exams next month, I'll have nothing to do  _except_  sleep," Buttercup muttered to herself, already picturing the grounding she'd get. She'd gotten a little studying in, mostly reviews of the notes Bubbles took. She'd pass, she'd have to. The last time she'd gotten a failing grade had been in eighth grade when she bombed algebra, and she was not about to live through that again, no sir. Blossom had said it proved Buttercup didn't care about her grades, and she did! Buttercup really tried, but her "trying" was different, okay? Her best was always half of Blossom's, and even Bubbles', sometimes. Buttercup excelled, it was just in different areas…too bad Professor didn't think being a volleyball star would get her very far. He encouraged her, but it was different. She wanted to bond with him over something, like her sisters, but it was so hard finding anything…

"Buttercup! If you're done dousing your body in hot bean water, hurry up! I want to get there early to set up my project!" Bubbles shrieked from the front door, with what might've been the most unappealing description of coffee that Buttercup's ever heard.

"Points for creativity, I guess," Buttercup grumbled, dragging her feet on her way. Most students gauged the month by how tired they looked; anyone who looked at Buttercup would assume it was halfway into March. Also, maybe, that she was on something hardcore. She'd remember to tell her family that next time they ragged on her for taking a nap in class; at least she wasn't out doing drugs.

She was far too fucked up already.

* * *

"Look, I'm telling you, Mothman would totally beat the Jersey Devil in a fight. Mothman has powers, unlike that dumb goat demon!" Buttercup had gotten knee-deep in a serious, intellectual conversation with Robin about cryptids, of which Buttercup had gotten away with writing her final essay on. Not to say that her teacher had been too thrilled. Buttercup suspected it was because the teacher pitied her a little and was just happy to hear Buttercup planned to apply herself to something, when she'd been slacking since almost the start of school. It was still about a week before November, so Buttercup wasn't yet screaming into her textbooks in the middle of the night, which was a proven study tactic, but she was sweating a little.

Luckily, her newest caffeine habit helped out with staying energized for studying and paying attention in class…okay, yes, she did sometimes crash, but she carried energy drinks in her bag now so that she could perk up again! She'd learned her lesson. Bubbles used to chastise Professor on surviving on nothing but coffee for days on end when he was close to a new breakthrough, now Buttercup understood the need for cup after cup. Once it faded, you had to jump-start again. Finally, something she could relate to her father about. Not that it was exactly comparable reasoning, but it counted. If he knew she was abusing caffeine instead of following his advice, though, he'd have a heart attack entirely unrelated to his high coffee intake. To be fair, they did say having kids tripled your stress rate, and he'd had three, so…

Through the phone, Buttercup listened to Robin's meager defense of her beloved Jersey Devil, whom she believed could conquer anything because it was a child of some deity, believed to be Satan himself. Well, Buttercup had news for Robin, and—

"Brr–ing! Brr–ing!"

Buttercup paused when she heard the blaring sound of the Hotline ring from upstairs. Whatever it was, she knew it was going to put her vital debate on hold. "I'll call you later, Robbie, duty calls. Send your little goat demon to help, I could use his "omniscient powers" sometime!" She grinned as Robin huffed in good humor.

"Good luck, and stay safe!" Robin said, and Buttercup shook her head fondly as she tossed her phone down beside her. Luck didn't win a war. Buttercup was losing one as it was, but boy, was she fighting. Hopefully this fight was gonna be one she could win.

She waited for Blossom to come downstairs after answering, a quick little snippet about their target on her lips, but several minutes passed in silence. Even Bubbles came creeping out of the kitchen, her expression pinched in confusion. "Maybe it was just a question?" she proposed, and Buttercup was inclined to agree, if not for the sinking feeling in her chest. It wasn't so simple. How Buttercup knew that, she wasn't sure, but she could feel the warning in her bones.

Finally, when Buttercup was ready to storm up to their room, Blossom descended the stairs, her hand clamped on the rail hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

"What? What is it?" Buttercup asked, exactly when Bubbles called Blossom's name in a worried murmur. The eldest sister blinked, seeming to snap out of the inner turmoil battling it out behind her eyes. Raising her head to face the other two, Blossom took in a deep breath, like she was getting ready to freeze the entire living room.

"It might be nothing," Blossom began, not off to a great start. "But, the Mayor's phone call was…troubling. I'm not positive, but we need to check this out for ourselves." Blossom's jaw was set tight as she spoke, like she was addressing the city or student body and she had to remain calm to not set off a panic.

Buttercup clenched her hands, stepping towards Blossom. "What, what do you think it is?" she asked. It was crystal clear Blossom had her suspicions, but she was holding back. "Bubbles and I aren't civilians, you don't need to hide anything from us. You know something." Buttercup didn't mean for accusation to bleed into her voice, but it was there. Blossom had no right to try and conceal anything from her (or Bubbles) just because she wanted to err on the side of caution.

Blossom shut her eyes, brows drawing down in frustration. "I don't know anything yet," she bit out, "but the descriptions the Mayor gave me of a couple varying reports are…very destructive, and similar. I'm not going to give you an answer to what I'm not sure of, Buttercup. There's no point in ruminating, so—" Blossom hovered up, reaching back to pull her long hair into a tie, "—let's go and find out for ourselves."

"That's such crap, you can't offer me a speech like you do everyone else!" Buttercup snapped, heaving herself off the floor as well. In the background, Bubbles emitted an anxious squeak, but Buttercup had no intentions in getting into it with Blossom. Why should she bother? The redhead had already given her a headache, trying to keep up with the planned, careful words when Blossom knew perfectly well she should give it to them straight. Maybe it was the caffeine crash getting to Buttercup that was making her feel so jittery, like canned lightning that had just gotten unleashed onto an unsuspecting populace. Before Blossom could bother chastising her for her attitude, Buttercup had beaten her to the door and shot up into the sky. "Get a move on!" she shouted over her shoulder, "if this is serious, we have to find out, fast!"

Blossom was the next out the door. "It's downtown, near Azure Shores! Mayor said an entire intersection has been obliterated." Blossom's worry crept into her tone that time, and Buttercup shut her eyes for a moment, the heavy revelation hitting hard, though it was Bubbles who asked the question.

"Were…were there any casualties?" the blonde asked, her hands wringing together.

Blossom didn't waste a second answering, now. "No, no. There were wrecks, but no attacks aimed at the cars, it seemed. The injury count is high, however, and it's still counting." Blossom rose up above Buttercup, and though she was still annoyed, the green puff allowed Blossom to take her natural place ahead. "Mayor said it wasn't the first report describing similar chaos, but the first of this magnitude. He thought it might've been a wayward monster, but…"

Buttercup waited for all of a second before she pressed. "But?"

Blossom shook her head, like she'd been lost in thought. "They assumed it was a wayward monster. Something lost, confused, and just lashing around to find its way home. But, these attacks, while appearing arbitrary, are starting to feel…calculated."

"Mass, surprise destruction is starting to sound calculated to you?" Buttercup asked, her eyebrows shooting up. "Maybe you really do need to take a break."

"I'm serious, Buttercup," Blossom said, turning a hard look over her shoulder. "This isn't the first time we've dealt with a series of violent attacks. It looks like there's no rhyme or reason, but underneath…" Blossom didn't finish.

Buttercup wasn't sure she wanted her to, either. A sour taste had risen up her throat. "Well, we deal with sadistic, narcissistic, vengeful, you name it. We'll just hunt it down and punch it 'till it stops!" Buttercup punched her fist into her open palm, but she could see the tightness in Blossom's jaw. She wasn't so keen on believing Buttercup's bravado. The air was tense between the three of them; not for any tension between them, but for what they were heading into. Buttercup was willing to bet (with the whole eleven dollars in her account) that they all had their suspicions. Buttercup wasn't big on theorizing, though. She had to see it face to face. They were getting all worked up over what was probably some stupid scheme of Mojo Jojo's—drag them all out, get their attention, and get them all worried about the possibility of serial attacks, blah-blah. Buttercup had been there, done that, dusted off her knuckles. "I swear, if I see Mojo's ugly little face, I'm gonna punch it even more inside out."

Bubbles giggled from somewhere behind Buttercup, which the green puff appreciated.

"This seems a little facile for him, but maybe he's got new henchman out causing a ruckus?" Blossom said from ahead.

"Suppose we can't put anything past him. Look, we're coming up to the intersec—Jesus  _Christ_." Buttercup skidded to a halt as well as one could in midflight, her jaw gaping as she drank in the sight of what was left of the usually busy intersection. Concrete chunks lay scattered, as if the ground itself had opened and something had tried clawing its way out. The cracks in the road spiderwebbed everywhere, thick and crumbling, while car sirens wailed from the several vehicles abandoned. Some teetered precariously towards the open holes in the earth, while others had clearly gotten stuck in the cracks, dragging their cars to a halt. Street-signs were bent in half or torn out of the ground entirely, and windows in the nearby buildings were largely broken or cracked. It was an image stolen from an apocalyptic movie.

"What on earth happened here?!" Bubbles shrieked, her hands covering her mouth. It was far from the first time they'd dealt with widespread destruction, but staring thousands of dollars' worth of damage in the face was unfailingly harrowing. This looked deliberate, it wasn't the same mismatched mess that monsters left behind; this wasn't something trying to move or escape. This was like something trying to make the biggest mess possible.

"No people around, right? They all got evacuated?" Buttercup called to Blossom, floating closer to the debris. She could smell gasoline and see cars smoking, many were dented and had cracked windows, and a couple were even turned on their sides. There was a streetlamp that had fallen down over a minivan, collapsing the roof in about halfway. She couldn't imagine being in a car if that had happened, it would scare anyone half to death.

"Yes, police said they got everyone out, took most to the nearest hospital to get them checked out," Blossom answered. "Like I said, no deaths, but a few people got pretty banged up. I haven't gotten the reports from any witnesses yet, but according to one officer, all he saw was a bright flash and suddenly it looked like the earth was cracking open."

Bubbles winced as she lowered herself onto the ground, on one of the few good places left. "This will take months to repair, and a huge chunk of our reparation funds. We'll have to find new routes for everyone to use," Bubbles murmured, ducking into the windows of cars to ensure no one, pets included, had accidentally gotten left behind. There weren't too many, Buttercup would guess only about thirty or so cars. It was better than half the city, but if things escalated… "Maybe it was a freak accident? I mean, I didn't hear or see anything nearby that could do something like this." Bubbles' voice was heavy with sorrow. She was often the one more worried about focusing on the aftermath, how she was going to fix things or help the people.

Buttercup wanted to agree. In fact, she'd love to, it was the simplest answer. But, something in her gut told her everything was all wrong. This was massive damage, this was like overgrown, overpowered puppies on steroids tearing through the downtown area. This… Buttercup narrowed her eyes, the screaming in her gut growing louder and angrier. Suddenly, it was shouting words at her— _run, get out of here._  "Guys, I don't like this. I think—"

"Well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!"

Buttercup wasn't sure what happened first; her heart sinking through the ground, her blood freezing in her veins, or the dislocation of her neck as her head snapped upwards. She thought she heard Bubbles gasp, but the buzzing in her ears made everything sound distant. The ground caved beneath Buttercup's feet, threatening to throw her to the ground—when had she landed?

Hovering above them, was a boy. A boy who looked no older than them, just a teenager. A boy with red hair and a scheming, sharp smile. He was smiling. He was there. Buttercup blinked once, twice, but he never vanished or grew any less vibrantly clear. The buzzing in her head was getting louder.

It was Blossom who spoke. "…Brick?" The question came hesitantly, she didn't want to speak any more than Buttercup. If they didn't acknowledge it, it wasn't happening. But, that smile grew broader, more teeth flashing in the sunlight.

"It's like blowing a whistle. A few cops go crying to the Powerpuffs, and they come runnin'!" Brick sneered. He crossed his arms as he regarded the three girls, and Buttercup couldn't help feeling like an ant in a glass terrarium. She was just waiting for someone to hold the magnifying glass up.

"World's stupidest police dogs!" A cackling voice joined in, cracking through the air like lightning. Brick rolled his eyes as Boomer dipped out from behind one of the buildings, his mop of blond hair obscuring his eyes until he shook it out of his face.

"Something's stupid," Brick muttered. They looked…they looked so normal. Like they had aged just the same as Buttercup and her sisters had. That couldn't be, that wasn't… They were  _gone._  Buttercup had been there, she'd watched. Shrunk out of existence, it was impossible.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._  Buttercup's heart felt like it was beating in slow-motion. It was pounding against her ribcage, pleading to break out, there wasn't enough room in her chest for it. She couldn't hear her sisters, anymore. She felt like she was caught in some horrible trap, and the hunter was coming.

"Oh-ho, this is  _too good._  You come to give us a big welcome back, Power-prisses?"

That voice. That voice, she knew it. It had changed, aged, it was no longer the same nasally and fast little boy's whine. It had grown, but Buttercup would never forget it. She could never forget.

Slowly willing herself to turn, to do something, Buttercup's body creaked with protest as she twisted around. Her chin lifted, eyes wide to stop herself screwing them shut like she wanted so desperately to do. She could still ignore it, she could still shut her eyes and tune it all out. This wasn't real, it wasn't happening. This was just another of her stupid, god damned nightmares that never left her alone!

His smirk. That same cocky, threatening smirk that had lured her into too many challenges. The same one she'd last seen years ago, on a boyish face, on someone who couldn't stay still. He was still, now, his hands clenched at his sides as he stared down directly at her. Those eyes—his eyes, looking straight through her, so very green. It was like staring into an emerald fire, any longer and she was going to burn.

 _I can't breathe, I can't breathe. Chest hurting_.  _I can't breathe!_  Buttercup felt a scream in the back of her throat, but there was no air in her lungs to push it out. She had to get away, if she didn't...if she didn't…she was going to burn.

The concrete beneath Buttercup gave way when she shoved off, a green beam illuminating her panic as she rocketed away, far too fast. It felt like she'd left her body standing there, and her stomach writhed in protest, but Buttercup didn't stop. She couldn't, if she did she might die. She could feel it at her toes, itching to sink its razor-like little nails into her. Night after night, she'd been here. It was the same feeling, the same panic, the same fight to get away.

It was the same person.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you ever been sitting, chilling, looking at the notes for a fic, and realized how long the story is shaping to be and suddenly you aren't chill anymore? 2018 mood.
> 
> This is my first (well, second, but the first one was winged) story that looks like it's going to be a long ride, and I'm having some trouble with proper progression, but this is a good practice and learning project, and I hope everyone reading is having as much fun as I am!


	7. Do You Recognize Me?

Buttercup's chest was caving in; her body was turning into a burning building, collapsing and splintering, and all she could do was exhale the smoke. The wind roared in her ears, she knew she was going way too fast, but the idea of slowing down made her sick. If she stopped, something was going to get her, she just didn't know what. She didn't hear anyone following her, but she wasn't about to stop to find out. Bubbles had called out to her—or so Buttercup thought, she vaguely believed she'd also heard a male voice interjecting with an almost offended "Hey!" before she'd flown off. Her head was buzzing too loud to make sense of anything, it might've all been her imagination.

Throwing a look over her shoulder, Buttercup didn't see anyone, not even her sisters, and the relief for that made her feel a little guilty. Turning back, Buttercup cried out when she saw the building wall right in front of her. Skidding to a halt was kind of a challenge mid-air, but still, a Powerpuff made it work, saving Buttercup's nose from getting mashed into her face. Resting her shaky hands on the cool brick, Buttercup dug her nails in. What would her sisters say to her? Would they even want to look at her, if they came for her at all? Buttercup never ran from a fight, ever. That wasn't in her blood, in her DNA. Nothing took the fight out of Buttercup. So why had she?

"Why did you do something so stupid?" Buttercup slammed her fist into the wall, holding back enough that she wouldn't crack it. She already had built herself a rocky reputation the past couple of months. She was lucky those overgrown, flying monkeys hadn't come after her. Years ago, they'd been able to keep up with any of the Powerpuff girls, maybe even faster. The silence surrounding Buttercup when, only moments before, she'd felt like a storm was inside her head…was eerie.

"Fuck!" Buttercup's eyes flew wide and she whipped around, back against the building to keep herself steady. She'd left her sisters behind, what if they hadn't followed her because the…because they'd gotten attacked? Three against three had never gone well, and now they were down one! Well…Buttercup looked down at her hands for a moment. "Not like I'm much help, right now," she mumbled. Talking to herself was a bad habit, her teachers called it. Professor said it was a healthy way to organize or acknowledge your thoughts, though, and it was one of the few things she shared in common with him. Shaking her head, Buttercup balled her hands up. She needed to get back…she had to do something.

She couldn't bring herself to move. It was a miracle she was still hovering, even if the building was helping to support her. When Buttercup closed her eyes, all she saw was green. Green fire, a sharp smile, teeth bared like he knew something she didn't…green, green, green fire. The tightness in Buttercup's chest was coming back again, right when she'd begun to catch her breath, now she was losing it again. Things like this had never happened to her before. This was for Blossom, panicking over a series of tests when she was in over her head. This was Bubbles, breaking down over an art project going awry. This was Robin, or Mitch, or anyone else besides her! This wasn't her!

"Buttercup?! Buttercup!" A voice, shrill and worried, cried out from above Buttercup. Sinking back against the wall behind her, Buttercup snapped her head up, squinting as the sun glared down at her. High above her floated a silhouette, and soon, another darted into the picture.

"Oh my god, Buttercup!" the second silhouette shrieked, dropping right out of the sky. Buttercup flinched despite herself, but of course, she'd recognized Bubbles' voice. The blonde caught herself in her fall, pausing near Buttercup, but not touching her. It stung a little, knowing Bubbles was so tactile and used hugging as a healing mechanism, and even she didn't want to risk touching Buttercup. It was Buttercup's fault, and she knew it, but that didn't make it feel less weird.

"Hey," Buttercup said, after a pause, rubbing at her arm. Bubbles had said nothing, only looking Buttercup over like she was searching for any sign of injury, or maybe some psychic sign of why Buttercup had shot off, but Bubbles was too nice to ask.

Moments later, and much more graceful, Blossom lowered herself beside her sisters. She wasn't nice enough to avoid awkward questions. Buttercup watched with faint amusement at the uncomfortable, pinched expression on Blossom's face, like she was trying to think of how to delicately confront Buttercup. After a second, though, that effort got thrown out the window, along with Buttercup's pride. "Buttercup, what happened? Why did you run off like that?"

Buttercup crossed her arms. Yeah, maybe that's what she'd done, but hearing it from someone else's mouth rubbed her the wrong way. Worse than that, she didn't have an answer, not even for herself…much less Blossom, who she couldn't even be honest with. "Don't we have bigger problems to be worrying about?" she asked, countering Blossom's interrogation before it could start. Bubbles recoiled, murmuring Buttercup's name, but Blossom only tightened her jaw. "Look, I'm not the only one of us wondering what the fuck just happened, right?" Buttercup gestured over Blossom's shoulder. "What was that? Are they even the same? Where the fuck did they come from?!"

"Buttercup, please!" Blossom cut in, whether it because of Buttercup's language or her gradually more furious questions, the green puff wasn't sure. Blossom lowered her arms, where they hung at her sides. She looked so…blank, so confused, that it almost made Buttercup regret her outburst. "I…I don't know."

Blinking once, twice, Buttercup felt something in her snap. "What do you mean you don't know? You're the leader, you're supposed to know everything!"

Bubbles, having stood to the side (for much longer than this one argument, it felt), finally shoved herself into the middle. "Buttercup, this isn't Blossom's fault," Bubbles whispered, her brows drawn into a wince.

Right. Right, of course it wasn't, nothing ever was. Dropping back, Buttercup raked a hand through her messy hair. "Yeah, you're right," she said, cutting her eyes towards Blossom for a split-second. "But we gotta find someone to blame."

Blossom, finding the elegance not to feed into the fight, shut her eyes. "I know we're all confused and worried, but…I don't have any idea why they're here, or how. I mean, we all know what happened, they were supposed to be gone forever." Blossom wrung her hands together. Looking up, Buttercup noticed long strands of red hair had escaped from Buttercup's hair-tie. She reached up to brush Blossom's hair back for her, something she'd always done, because she couldn't stand Blossom's wild hair being all in her face.

Blossom's eyes widened as Buttercup's fingers pushed the stray strands behind her ear, looking up at the younger girl. Silence hung in the air between them, neither of them seeming quite willing to break it. Lucky for them, Bubbles was more than happy.

"What are we gonna do?! Did you see Brick's face! I thought all three of them were gonna go after Buttercup!" Bubbles covered her face with her hands, cheeks turning pink as she got all worked up.

Blossom cleared her throat, and Buttercup took her hand away. "I think they were more…surprised," Blossom said. Buttercup raised a brow. "When you left, none of us moved at first, but Brick turned to look at me, and I was afraid they were going to try to race us. I don't…I don't believe they followed us, so I don't think they're going to come looking."

"Butch never looked away from you," Bubbles said, looking at Buttercup. "Do you think they're, like, still programmed to…" Bubbles didn't finish, but Buttercup couldn't blame her. A chill rocketed down her back, but she was more sure it was from the first half of Bubbles' statement.

"Well, if they aren't barreling down our throats right now, maybe we've got some time to figure it out. Y'got any suspects?" Buttercup asked, turning her eyes to Blossom. "Mojo again?"

Blossom held her hand under her chin. "Do you think so? It's been so long, and he was frustrated that he didn't have enough control over them. I…I also thought about HIM, but he tends to get bored and doesn't go for the same things twice, especially if they failed him." Chewing on her lip, Blossom shrugged. "I guess, to answer your earlier question about if they're the same… They did recognize us."

Bubbles' head drooped a little, while Buttercup let her head thud backwards against the brick. "That leaves us at square one," she lamented. "They've even grown, just like us! Does that mean…" she trailed off, and Blossom's mouth dropped.

"Are you suggesting they might've been somewhere else, all this time, instead of dying?" Blossom finished her sister's thought.

"Uh…" Buttercup couldn't say for sure that was her idea, but something along those lines. Blossom was way better at putting thoughts into words. "I mean, that's the only thing that makes sense, isn't it? If they poofed like they were supposed to, they would've come back as kids, like the other times."

Blossom rubbed at her temples, her expression pained. Bubbles was looking awfully pale herself. Not wanting to picture what she might've looked like, Buttercup floated forward to hook an arm around Bubbles' trembling shoulders. "That's…troubling," Blossom sighed. "I don't know what I want to believe more, the idea that someone, somehow, resurrected them, or the idea of them hiding low for all these years. How on earth would we not notice, not hear about them?" Blossom looked over her shoulder then, like she was nervous of someone overhearing. "Even if they were on the other side of the world, there's no way word wouldn't travel if they were doing things like destroying cities!"

Bubbles shrugged. "Maybe they weren't." Her statement was innocent enough, but both her sisters gave her skeptical looks.

"They were built for destruction, Bubbles," Blossom pointed out. "But, if Buttercup is right, and they were simply gone or hiding…why are they back, now?"

"We're asking an awful lot of questions, and I'm not hearing a lot of answers," Buttercup snapped. She moved away from Bubbles and hovered higher, green energy crackling between her fingers as she popped her knuckles. "I say we start hunting for some of 'em. Who better to start with than the guy who made these mistakes?" While it might've been easier to confront the boys themselves to shed some light, Buttercup couldn't fathom doing that. She felt calmer, now, beside her sisters…but she wasn't able to say what she'd do if she saw him again. Mojo Jojo was a good enough bet, he made them, surely he might know something about what had happened.

Blossom shared a look with Bubbles, who held her arms up. "Might as well!" the blonde said, beginning to float up towards Buttercup. "I'm surprised they didn't follow us, but that doesn't mean they don't still have it out for us. And besides, we can't sit around waiting for them to destroy the city piece by piece!"

Blossom exhaled a puff of air, shoulders sagging. Buttercup couldn't help a smile as she waved her sister on up. "C'mon, leader. Lead the way!"

"Fine, fine. But if Mojo proves to be useless, like always, we're doing research of our own. I don't want to start a conflict head on with them, we all remember what happened to the city last time." Blossom winced at the memory alone, and the damage already done to that intersection was going to be enough of a dent in the recovery budget. "I don't know how their skills have grown, either. If we've improved, it's safe to assume they have, too."

Oh, right. Buttercup hadn't thought of that. Trust Blossom to remember that fun detail. "Bridges to burn later." Buttercup waved a wrist, dismissing it. "Let's get going. Last thing we want is to run our luck into the ground and have them actually show up because of all the talk."

Blossom rose above the girls, taking her spot at the point of their formation. "It's been a while since we paid our old friend a visit, huh?"

Buttercup didn't feel it had been long enough, personally. As she trailed along, a little way behind, Bubbles would occasionally shoot her a worried glance. Buttercup pretended to be looking at the ground to avoid talking. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the concern, she just…also didn't want it. It was much easier to pretend things were fine than to explain why they weren't or come up with lies. The green puff's stomach was still tied in a knot. She wasn't sure that was healthy, but a lot of things going for her right now were verging on downright poisonous. If she hurt herself, Buttercup was sure she'd bleed caffeine. Maybe that was why her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Or, maybe that was something else, but that something was going right into Buttercup's secret chest, where she locked everything else away. It was the one thing she had for herself, no one else could get inside her head. Once upon a time, people would tell Buttercup she didn't share well. Now, it was a personality trait.

"Hey, Buttercup? Do you wanna come up front, in case things get ugly?" Blossom snapped her sister out of her dazed train of thought.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right. Never gonna miss a chance to break a few monkey toys," Buttercup grinned. The trio landed at the doorstep of Mojo's tower, where Buttercup took the liberty of knocking. It seemed backwards to be knocking on your enemy's door. But, all things considered, not the strangest thing that had happened with Mojo.

Inside, bustling and annoyed mumbling could be heard, but several seconds passed in silence. "He's probably seen us through the camera, by now. Maybe we should—"

Before Blossom could share her next plan, the door whipped open, making Bubbles step back while Buttercup stepped in front of her sisters. Mojo stood in the doorway, gaze sliding between the three girls before it settled on Blossom. "What brings these strays to my doorstep?"

Blossom cleared her throat. "Mojo, we have a couple of questions. We need your help."

That seemed to pique the villain's interest. After a moment of thought, he stepped aside, gesturing an arm inside. "If this is about that incident over by the museum, I'm afraid I can't take credit for that, much as I would love to," he said, leading the girls into a modest living room. It never did fail to surprise Buttercup to see people she'd fought with countless times living a normal life. It wasn't the first time she'd been in the monkey's home, and still she felt out of place.

"This isn't about that. Not specifically," Blossom said, taking a seat on a plush couch. "It's about those responsible for it."

Buttercup picked up an odd-looking statue, examining the spherical marble. Before she could get too curious, furry hands snatched the decoration away from her. She glared at Mojo, who returned her scowl easily. "Hands to yourself, Powerpuff," he told her, setting the statue back. "As for you, what makes you think I associate with any of those aimless monsters?"

"Because you made them," Blossom replied, hands folded in her lap. Her knuckles were white, though, when Buttercup looked closer. Bubbles went to stand behind Buttercup, her eyes never leaving Mojo Jojo, whose eyes widened in understanding.

"My boys?" he asked, surprise coloring his tone and making Buttercup frown. "They've been in the city? For how long?"

"We wanted you to tell us that!" Buttercup couldn't help her frustration. Even Blossom deflated. "You're telling me you didn't summon them or some other crap?"

Mojo had the gall to look offended. "I most certainly did not, those brats had decided long ago they were better off on their own. Oh, this is perfect! Maybe now they can finally fulfill their destiny," Mojo was starting to ramble, and that wasn't something Buttercup had time for.

She stepped closer to him, and his speech cut short as he backed away and looked up at the fuming Powerpuff. "Well, what can you tell us about them?" she asked, hands on her hips. "What could have brought them back, maybe?"

Mojo waved his hand at Buttercup. "As far as I knew, they had vanished. I wasn't sure if they were dead, like the first time you evil girls got your hands on them." Blossom rolled her eyes at that, but Mojo was focused on Buttercup. "But I knew they were gone. I have nothing to do with their return, but I'd love to see them!"

That makes one of them. "Put a leash on them if you do." Buttercup turned on her heel to leave, with Bubbles scurrying behind her to keep up. From behind her, Buttercup could hear Blossom still talking.

"Thank you for letting us in. I don't trust you won't find some way to abuse this, but I believe you don't know how it happened. I won't hesitate to throw you back in prison if I find out you're working with them." Blossom's voice dropped from polite to frigid in seconds flat, and Buttercup had to fight the urge to turn around and see if Mojo wasn't frozen solid from that alone.

Outside, the girls stood together in dejected silence for a few seconds. This wasn't the lead they were hoping for. "Every time, they always get a head start," Bubbles said.

"And we've always had the final say, so stop talking like a quitter!" Buttercup nudged Bubbles. It was easy being strong for someone else.

"Buttercup's right. I think I'll do some research of my own, look to see if there've been any more records or reports that match up to what we know." Blossom glanced up, in the direction of the destroyed intersection they'd stood in just that afternoon. "If I can't find anything, and they act out again…I'll ask Brick, myself."

"Like he's gonna talk to you," Buttercup mumbled. Blossom raised her arms in a "you never know" gesture, her eyebrows drawn in confusion.

"I'm inclined to agree, but I've been surprised already. Buttercup, they've never missed a chance to attack us." Blossom lowered her voice, as if she were sharing a secret. "Today, they left us alone. I'm not sure if it's part of some bigger plan, but for what it's worth, they didn't try killing us when that's all they've ever done. I'm not drawing conclusions until I've got sufficient answers."

Buttercup hated when Blossom pulled the political card. "Don't talk like this is some essay you're writing. They've endangered the city, they've tried destroying us!"

"I know that! I was there!" Blossom snapped, losing her patience at last. "We have to treat this delicately, being brash only makes things worse. Barging into a fight with the Rowdyruffs has almost ruined us, I'm going to be careful, and I want both of you to be, too." Straightening, Blossom turned her back to her sisters. "No attending any calls alone, try not to interact with them alone. From now on, we're on high alert. At home, at school, on any calls, regardless if it has nothing to do with them. Understood?"

Bubbles bobbed her head in agreement. "Uh-huh! I'll help in trying to dig up dirt. I'll head to the police station to see if any other law enforcement has records!" Bubbles pumped a fist into the air, eager to get to work. Buttercup wished she could share the enthusiasm, but she only wanted to bury those punks. And then, she wanted to take a nap.

A nap… Buttercup felt nausea bubble up in her gut so fast, it made her double over slightly. "Buttercup? You okay?" Bubbles reached for the other girl, but Buttercup recoiled.

"Uh, I have to head back. I'll…I'll catch up, okay? Besides, somebody's gotta be ready if they pop up again." Buttercup saluted Bubbles, hoping the grimace she felt didn't look too obvious. Bubbles looked hesitant, but Blossom didn't look back.

"Bubbles, let's go. We'll meet back home, if nothing arises." With that, Blossom took off into the air, with Bubbles following her, after shooting one last look at Buttercup.

"I wish she didn't have to make me feel bad," Buttercup grumbled. She'd always hated Bubbles' way of making her feel so many things with just a look. That was why she'd make a great counselor, all the power to read someone with a glance. Now all on her own, Buttercup didn't bother hiding the fact that she felt like she was about to fall apart. She'd forgotten about everything, in the little while she'd been trying to unravel the mystery with the others.

Now, she had all the time in the world to remember her nightmares. They had a face, now. The face she'd been seeing, those eyes that saw right through her, they'd been right in front of her. She'd known him the whole time, she just hadn't been able to remember until he was staring right at her. She had felt like a deer in headlights, a rabbit in a trap, like he knew all about what she was thinking.

That was impossible, though. They couldn't read minds, and her nightmares were all in her stupid head. "Why the fuck am I dreaming about  _him_?" Buttercup had started flying home, moving slow as she struggled through her roiling thoughts. Maybe it was a premonition, her brain predicting the return of the Rowdyruff Boys before they even showed? Both Blossom and Bubbles had a random, surprising power that had popped up out of nowhere. This could just be an instance of that happening again. If that were true…did that mean Buttercup could sleep safely again, now that the "prediction" had come true?

She was desperate enough to find out. Tonight, she was finally going to try sleeping again. Her head was pounding already, she'd gone without caffeine for hours now after getting caught up in this new disaster. She had to wait, though, in case she turned out to be right and would need to intervene in any bullshit. That, or one of the other girls came back with news.

"Great," Buttercup muttered, realizing she'd signed herself up for a few hours of exhausted boredom. She wasn't as good a researcher as Blossom, and she wasn't about to backtrack all the way to the police station. Even at the pace she was going, flying felt like too much work. She was going to be lucky to make it home.

* * *

The door slamming shut was Buttercup's saving grace, her drooping eyelids popping wide open as Bubbles came into the living room. "Wh'happen?" Buttercup slurred, dragging herself into a relatively upright position.

"What happened?" Bubbles repeated, though clearer. "What happened is the police have nothing, and they're frustrated that I have nothing! How can I know any more than they do?!" Bubbles stomped her foot.

Buttercup blinked, too dazed for this. "Uh…what'd they say?"

Bubbles plopped onto the couch beside Buttercup, bouncing the older girl. "Well, I went in and explained the situation, you know, who had caused the wreckage!" Bubbles moved her hands as she told the story, more energetic than if she'd been animated. "And I said I wanted to check if any records were in the police system, if they'd gotten caught anywhere else in the world, all of that. They let me, but they were kinda rude about it, like I didn't know what I was doing, which was totally wrong, first off…"

Buttercup leaned her chin on her hand, listening to Bubbles talk faster and faster, the way she got when was really ticked off. Man, the folks down at the station always loved Bubbles. The catastrophe must've put everyone on edge.

"So, when I didn't find anything, I apologized and said we were gonna keep looking. Someone got all offended and asked what they were supposed to do until then. Obviously, call us if you see them! We can't predict the future, I don't know what they're planning or where they are! What do they want us to do, risk our lives again to put them in a jail cell that won't hold them?!" Panting, Bubbles looked at Buttercup in exasperation.

Wisely, Buttercup nodded. "Yeah, what's their problem?" Although, a part of her felt the same. She did want to lock those bastards away. Who cared that they hadn't attacked the Powerpuffs today? They'd ruined an entire intersection, they could have killed someone! Was Buttercup supposed to wait for something worse?

Bubbles clapped her hands, so Buttercup must've chosen the right dialogue option. Who said video games weren't good for the mind? "Exactly! Gosh, this mess has everyone so upset. I hope Blossom had more luck."

"I'm sure Miss Perfect did fine," Buttercup grumbled. Bubbles frowned at that, but—speak of the devil—the door opened again, letting Blossom inside.

"Oh, Bubbles, I'm glad you're here," Blossom looked weary, but she smiled at the pair on the couch. "Did you find anything?"

"No, and I didn't have a nice time with it, either. What about you? Please have good news!" Bubbles clasped her hands together. Buttercup leaned forward too, eyes drilling into Blossom. If she had news, she'd have shared it, first.

And indeed, Blossom wilted. "I'm afraid I don't. Not enough, anyway. The only records are from here, but I did find something odd…" Blossom pulled a document from her backpack. Leaping up, Buttercup stole the paper right out of Blossom's grasp. "Hey, rude!"

Ignoring her, Buttercup scanned the document. It was just a record of a sighting of the boys, dated ages ago. "What is this?"

"It's the date!" Blossom crossed her arms. "If you'd let me finish. The date was a little while after our last defeat of them, they must have been resurrected after that time. I just…I don't know where they've been all this time, since. We shrank them out of existence."

"HIM is the only one with that power. But he wouldn't have held onto them all this time, they wouldn't have stood for being captive, either…maybe they decided to go on their own?" Bubbles' suggestion might not have been too farfetched, but Buttercup wasn't in the mood for giving bugs the benefit of the doubt.

"Whatever. We'll just have to erase 'em again." Buttercup lounged back on the couch, not missing Blossom's frustrated huff.

"We have to be diplomatic, Buttercup. I won't start an all-out war until I understand what's going on. You saw as well as I did, they clearly recognize us, but made no moves to take us out!"

"But they can take out a whole intersection and it's fine? Listen to yourself!" Buttercup yanked herself upright and stood, glowering at Blossom from across the room.

"There were no casualties! Yes, I'm upset, and yes, it's a problem. But, I have to see solid evidence they're a threat to human life before I begin another days-long fight with them!" Blossom was starting to raise her voice, her face reddening in anger.

Buttercup laughed at that, a bitter sound. "You just think you know it all. You want to be the perfect little politician. Not everyone can be saved!" Not everyone wanted to be saved, and Buttercup was pretty freaking sure that counted those stupid punks.

"I want to be a fair person who considers all her options. Being a critical thinker wouldn't kill you, Buttercup," Blossom snidely remarked.

Seething, Buttercup stormed off, knocking a small pile of magazines to the floor in her wake. Bubbles "eeped", leaning down, presumably to pick up the mess. Buttercup never stopped to look or help, she stalked up to her room, too angry to even bother flying. It didn't have the same impact as stomping.

Throwing herself onto her bed, Buttercup screamed into her pillow. There was a familiar smoke in her chest; this time, from rage. Who did Blossom think she was? She was acting like she knew better than Buttercup or even Bubbles! They had dealt with the Rowdyruff Boys firsthand, they knew what those rats were capable of, and Blossom wanted to sit around and let it happen? It was just asking for something bad. Then what was Blossom going to do? Sit on her pedestal and say she was right for "giving them a chance" or something?

Buttercup curled up into a ball, the pounding in her head having grown worse slowly but surely. Now, with her eyes shut, the threat of passing out was hurtling towards her—not carrying her into sleep so much as dragging. Turning over, Buttercup struggled to get comfortable. Instead of slipping right into a peaceful slumber, the very thing she'd had to fight to avoid for weeks… Buttercup stared at the backs of her eyelids.

She tossed and turned until it was dark outside, her blankets and clothes all twisted into a disarray; she was no less tired, but she was also no closer to falling asleep. Instead of continuing to wallow in self-pity, Buttercup found the strength to get up. There had to be some sleeping pills in this house.

When she got to the kitchen to search for something to help, Buttercup found Blossom at the counter, papers splayed before her. "What's all this?" Buttercup asked, wondering if it might be more documents on the Rowdy-Losers.

"My work for the chemistry project. I got caught up in our work and neglected the assignment," Blossom answered, sounding focused and distant.

"That's due?" Buttercup rolled her eyes. She'd forgotten about it, mostly, but… "Don't we have more important things to worry about? Maybe we can get an extension."

"Buttercup, we can't let our duties to the city interfere with our education. We made a promise to the Professor and the school," Blossom snapped, surprising Buttercup with the coolness in her voice. "I care about my grades, and I won't let them suffer. I can manage to do both, can't you?"

Chagrined and offended, Buttercup pointed a finger at Blossom. "What's your problem? Maybe you can't handle it, it sounds like it's making you lose your shit! You're America's perfect dream girl, we get it!"

That made the redhead flinch, but Buttercup didn't care. Slamming a book shut, Blossom stood, making the stool screech on the tile. "My problem is you, you've been nothing but a jerk lately and I'm tired of it! I'm…I'm not perfect, no one is."

"You sure want to act like it! I'm tired of you acting like a know-it-all bitch that thinks she can control everything!" Buttercup regretted her word choice the second it was out of her mouth. She hadn't meant it…but at the same time, she wanted to. Everything was unraveling in front of her too fast for her to even find the end of the rope.

Tears welled in Blossom's eyes, and she ran past Buttercup, bumping her shoulder on the way. Buttercup didn't chase, she didn't call out, she just stood in the doorway like a glowing statue labeled "World's Worst Sister."

Well, Blossom wasn't much better. She didn't even ask Buttercup or Bubbles what they wanted to do about the situation. She just thought she could handle it best. And Bubbles just let Blossom do whatever she wanted, too weak to even stand up against her sister. Buttercup was sick of it.

She was sick of all of it.

And her head still hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to casually pretend I didn't take a break from writing that ended up being a half a year hiatus; but also, I'm going to profusely apologize, because I've gotten messages inquiring about this story, which is mind-blowing because I never thought it'd garner much interest! I thought this fandom was kinda gone, and I also didn't think my writing would earn this much attention. Very humbled tbh.
> 
> I'm walking a fine line (that I'm definitely gonna fall off of a couple times) between cold villain and annoying anti-hero. I'm also nervous about the dialogue in this story. I never write heavy dialogue, but here there's a lot of interaction, so I'm trying to find a balance between action and speaking. Am I doing well enough, or should I cut back on dialogue? And one other note on the story; some of the canon is a little bent, to simplify things. Just in case some of you noticed things didn't line up exactly with the show, haha!
> 
> I also lowkey am turning into Buttercup—I was already basing some of her issues around my own insomnia and nightmare disorder, but now that the holidays are here, and I work retail….a bitch is struggling on energy drinks.


End file.
